Cuppa QR codes lead organ donors to register Coffs Coast Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - August 5, 2022 Coffee cups support DonateLife Week – Mid North Coast Local Health District Donation Specialist Nurse Patrick Regan with Acting District Midwife Manager Katrina McLeod and the specially marked coffee cup that makes registering as an organ and tissue donor easy. TAKEAWAY coffee cups bearing a special QR code have made becoming an organ donor an easier process for those thinking about registering for this life-saving practice. For this year’s DonateLife Week – 24 to 31 July – a host of local cafés across the Mid North Coast have placed special QR code stickers on takeaway cups, enabling people to register on the spot. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Coffee connoisseurs can simply scan the QR code on the cups to register as an organ and tissue donor,” Mid North Coast Local Health District Donation Specialist Nurse Patrick Regan told News Of The Area. “It’s hoped that the coffee cup initiative will see registrations soar even further than previous years.” DonateLife Week is a good time to remind each other about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Mid North Coast Local Health District Intensive Care and Donation Medical Specialist Dr Michael Sutherland said only about one-third of eligible Australians have registered their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register. “If you are registered as a donor and you are in the one per cent of people who die in a way such that donation is a possibility, a single organ donor can help save up to seven lives, sometimes more,” Dr Sutherland said. DonateLife Week can spark the idea to have a conversation with your family about organ and tissue donation and take the next step to register. It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, your lifestyle, what country you’re from or how healthy you are – you can still register as an organ and tissue donor, even if you’ve had COVID-19. “Donation and transplantation are completely ethical practices, supported by all major religious groups, as examples of humanitarian kindness,” Dr Sutherland said. “If you are not registered, doctors will ask your family after you have died what they think and that’s a very tough decision for them,” he said. “They won’t know if you don’t tell them. “Make a difference today, simply by registering your donation decision.” For more information: https://www.donatelife.gov.au/ By Andrea FERRARI
