John

John explains why he thinks his dad was unsure about organ donation. He says people should talk more about it.

So, yeah, me and my sister, like I said, we’re both on the organ donation list and we I more than happy for if I can, when that time comes, and my sister’s the same, if we can donate something great, um, we agree with it, we’re happy to do it.

But yeah I think for me, dad, it’s not, I think because where we go back to where everything was so quick and sudden and, you know, you do kind of have that, everything’s gonna be all right, she’ll pull through.

You do have that in the back of your mind and you’re like, right, come on. You know, but keep that positive and, and stuff. So, I’d say that side of it, you know, we still had that, she’ll pull through, she’ll come home.

And then I think with the being just so quick, you know what I mean? Just like I think more for me dad was, I think because it was maybe on the day that conversation with the donor team happened, you know, it was very, obviously very raw at that point.

So yeah, I think that’s what I think why my dad was probably against it and yeah. Well, I’m not sure. I think people talk about, to talk about it more, maybe an advertisement campaign or something, or just to get it on them tellies and get people watching it, and then that might spur on conversations and maybe letters through the post or it’s a tough one to try and to, to give, you know, to, I think a lot of the time, a lot of people have conversations upon a death or something like this, isn’t it really?

I think, ’cause like I said before, you know you kind of go, oh yeah, well, I’ll sign up to donate. And then once you’ve done that, that’s it.

It’s kinda like, put, put the back of your head and, and that’s it. And like you said, you know, it’s still kind of, not, not a lot of people talk about it. And like I said, why not?Why, why it, it kind of only happens upon someone passing, unfortunately.

John’s mum collapsed suddenly and was taken to hospital.

I think my mum died then now, it’s three years this year.

Again, it was just a normal day. And I just remember the phone call from my dad saying mum had collapsed at home got sent home from work. She collapsed at home.

Dad called me a little bit upset, you know, the ambulance was there. So, I luckily about 10 minutes from here my mom and dad lived, where work we got there.

We just seeing the ambulance trying to rip the potato, kind of, you’re just in a bit of a day. It’s like, what, what is going on there? And uh, obviously when got to a hospital and once you know you’re there, worrying, you’re like oh, what’s going on?
And then it kind of, once, once they’d done what they needed to do and all the checks they let us know.

She had an aneurysm, and unfortunately it had burst and it was quite a big one. Um, so they’d obviously induced cor with her, and I think it was over the course of a week then tried to wake her a couple of times and it, you know, it wasn’t,  wasn’t happening.

So each time they put her back on you know, juice coma. And then I think after the second time, a couple days after the second time, the checks that they do, like the slight eye movements with under light and stuff like that, that had all stopped, that they had to do further checks.

And when we obviously had the bad news that she, uh, unfortunately had not made it then. Yeah. Yeah and then, as you can imagine, it was like everything was just so quick, you know, it was a week, do you know what I mean?

From everything being fine to that day, boom, collapsed and then a week later passed. So it was a bit like what, you know, everything so quick and just shocked by it all how quick, and you know, unfortunately that is life, unfortunately.

And, we understand that. And then, yeah. And then obviously conversations with, with the donor people came in then yeah.

Nurses explained to John and his family how organs are retrieved.

So, I can’t remember how long after it was, I don’t know.

Within the hour, I’d say two nurses. I think they were part of the donor team that came in and had a conversation.

So, I’m on the donor list as well as my sister. We both are and we both support it. Um, but I think what kind of highlights,

I think it’s quite easy to say, this is my opinion, to say, yeah, I agree to be an organ donation, blah, blah, blah.

But I think when you’re in, then in that scenario of that, that the real, that’s when you really realise what’s involved in it and, and what the process is.

And I think that was more of the, it’s, it wouldn’t have changed our minds, but I think it was more like yourself, you know, with your research.

And I think maybe if it was highlighted a bit better, or I don’t know if I’d not read it somewhere or something, or, you know, the patient being, having to kept, kept going through the machines to keep them organs going.

And I, don’t know why but at the time I didn’t think, I didn’t think that was, that was the way it went.

I don’t know why. Now looking back, I think, well, yeah, it makes sense.

They have to do that. But at that time, yeah, it was more, and I think because like, you know, we knew she’d gone and keeping that machine going just for the sake of it and stuff.

And, but, the donor people were quite helpful to be said. It did say, you know, this is not gonna go on days.

It, it’s literally like, if, if we can, if we can do something and we can do it tonight, then it’ll be tonight.

If it’s not tonight, then it, it won’t it. So that kind of helped a little bit as well.

Since his mum died, John’s family have discussed their own wishes about organ donation.

I mean, obviously through my mom passing and being in that process of them conversations, which then spurred me on to have them conversations with my wife and that, and yeah, my sister also with her husband and, and that.

I’d even say my dad even though he at the time wasn’t for agreeing for my mom you know, conversations then after time had passed and that he now says that when, that time comes for him.

If they can, then he’s more than happy to let, obviously he’s let us know that for when that conversation arises.

If it does again, then we can say, yeah.

John explains why he thinks his dad was unsure about organ donation. He says people should talk more about it.

So, yeah, me and my sister, like I said, we’re both on the organ donation list and we I more than happy for if I can, when that time comes, and my sister’s the same, if we can donate something great, um, we agree with it, we’re happy to do it.

But yeah I think for me, dad, it’s not, I think because where we go back to where everything was so quick and sudden and, you know, you do kind of have that, everything’s gonna be all right, she’ll pull through.

You do have that in the back of your mind and you’re like, right, come on. You know, but keep that positive and, and stuff. So, I’d say that side of it, you know, we still had that, she’ll pull through, she’ll come home.

And then I think with the being just so quick, you know what I mean? Just like I think more for me dad was, I think because it was maybe on the day that conversation with the donor team happened, you know, it was very, obviously very raw at that point.

So yeah, I think that’s what I think why my dad was probably against it and yeah. Well, I’m not sure. I think people talk about, to talk about it more, maybe an advertisement campaign or something, or just to get it on them tellies and get people watching it, and then that might spur on conversations and maybe letters through the post or it’s a tough one to try and to, to give, you know, to, I think a lot of the time, a lot of people have conversations upon a death or something like this, isn’t it really?

I think, ’cause like I said before, you know you kind of go, oh yeah, well, I’ll sign up to donate. And then once you’ve done that, that’s it.

It’s kinda like, put, put the back of your head and, and that’s it. And like you said, you know, it’s still kind of, not, not a lot of people talk about it. And like I said, why not? Why, why it, it kind of only happens upon someone passing, unfortunately.

John talks about his mother’s donation & saving lives.

No, like, like I said at the time, I can’t remember how long after my mum died in the September, so it would’ve been, it would’ve been 20, 22 then, into 22.

We received a letter, saying that, oh no, it wasn’t too long after actually saying, they, they’d manage to,

I think it was a phone conversation, that they, they were able to, she was able to donate and, to people.

I should have got the letter out before, I have got it somewhere.

I just, I didn’t even think, but yeah, two, two males, two males, did receive, did receive.

So we got like a little letter, obviously didn’t go into names and stuff, and, um, got like a little, um, donation little, like, badge and stuff.

It was quite nice, really. But like I said before, it’s kind, it kinda like, I felt like my mom would’ve been proud.

We, we obviously was happy and proud that, you know, it just just feels nice that you hear that she was able to donate and two people got it and it’s, it’s helped our lives, which is like the little icing on the cake ’cause as the saying goes.

Yeah. And then I did hear back saying, uh, there was like, did he do a, an award string, a yearly?

There was like an award string Yeah. If we wanted to go. But I think, I think if it was now, yeah, I could, but, I don’t think I could have done, would’ve been a little bit too emotional where, you know, emotionals being fine and that, and, but yeah, it was just, it would’ve been a bit, a bit too soon.