Let’s Talk Organ & Tissue Donation
Hit Network
Follow the touching and captivating stories from organ and tissue recipients, donor families, living donors, and expert medical and nursing specialists in DonateLife Victoria’s new podcast, Let’s Talk: Organ and Tissue Donation.
In stirring interviews, podcast host Michael Billings unearths the personal stories behind rare organ donation and transplantation cases, receiving ‘the call’, the donation journey, and the life-changing moments for everyone involved.
Join us every fortnight for a new episode.
Episode 14 - Dr.Sam Radford
“Donating, or planning to do so, is a really positive act and it should get celebrated. After you take in all the information, and you’ve really thought about it, if donation really aligns with your values, then take a minute to register. That’s all it takes.” These are the words of Dr Sam Radford, Deputy State Medical Director for DonateLife Victoria, in talking about the simplicity of registering to become an organ and tissue donor, and the fact that one day, that decis
Episode 13 - Dr.Graeme Pollock
“One eye donation can literally give two people back their sight. I think we all know what the impact in our lives of having good sight is. The impact of this type of donation is actually massive.” These are the words of Dr Graeme Pollock OAM – Director of the Lions Eye Donation Service, Centre for Eye Research Australia – one of Australia’s largest providers of donated eye tissue for transplant and medical research. Dr Pollock helped establish the service 30 years
Episode 12 - Dr.Rohit D'Costa
“At the moment there are around 1,800 Australians on the transplant waiting list, so for these patients – who are in many instances desperately unwell – they really need a chance at life. For some of them, it’s a matter of life and death.” These are the words of Dr Rohit D’Costa, the State Medical Director for DonateLife Victoria, who, in this special DonateLife Week episode, explains why DonateLife is encouraging up to 100,000 more Australians to register as
Episode 11 - Andrew Conway and Paul Greenwood
“Last year I died in my sleep. My wife and daughter had to do CPR on me; I was dead for about half an hour. The ambos took me away and I woke up a few days later in The Alfred.” These are the words of Andrew Conway, who clinically died in his sleep after suffering a massive cardiac arrest in early 2020. Against all odds, Andrew was brought back to life by paramedics and transported to The Alfred Hospital. At present, around 1,800 Australians are wait listed for an organ transpl
Episode 10 - Brendan Cole
“I was 6-foot-1 and weighed 48 kilograms. I received 100% of my nutrients through Total Parenteral Nutrition via an IV. Food was a foreign concept to me. It was just a fond memory.” These are the words of Brendan Cole, who made history in 2010 by being Australia’s first intestinal transplant recipient. Suffering intestinal failure since infancy, Brendan also received a donor liver, pancreas and duodenum, in a complex and historic multi-organ transplant conducted by Austin
Episode 9 - Fiona Hudson
“Everyone here that I work with really feels a passion for what they do. I think what we do, and the outcomes we’re involved in, really touch us.” These are the words of Fiona Hudson, a medical scientist with Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetics Services (VTIS) at Australia Red Cross Lifeblood. In this episode, Fiona talks about the incredibly complex work the VTIS team undertake through scientific testing - often known as “tissue typing” - to determine comp
Episode 8 - Tara Duke
Episode 8 – Tara Duke “With a new liver she would gain quality of life. It would take her away from the risk of having a metabolic crisis and something catastrophic happening down the track. We wanted to give her the best possible chance of thriving and living her fullest life. From our side, all of it pointed in the direction of an organ transplant.” These are the words of Tara Duke, mum of baby Maia, who underwent a liver transplant at the age of just 20 months. I
Episode 7 - Cody Sheehan
“I have huge enthusiasm for living every day to the max and squeezing the quintessence out of life. To go from being so ill, to being not ill, is quite an extraordinary thing.” These are the words of Cody Sheehan, who received a life-saving double lung and liver transplant four years ago, at the age of 28. In the seventh episode of Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation, podcast host Michael Billings speaks to Cody about his difficult journey through chronic illness,
Episode 6 - John Lowe
“You have 20-million things going through your head. You’re thinking the absolute worst. You’re thinking: I’ve just lost the love of my life. I’ve just lost my wife.” These are the words of John Lowe, reflecting on the moment his beloved wife Louise went into surgery after a brain aneurism, with little chance of survival. In the sixth episode of Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation, podcast host Michael Billings speaks to John about his story, and how im
Episode 5: Michelle Skinner, Donor Family Support Coordinator, DonateLife Victoria
“You’re helping people through the worst time in their life. It’s quite a rewarding position to be in and quite a privileged position ... It’s a special, sacred place to be.” These are the heartfelt words of Michelle Skinner, DonateLife Victoria’s Donor Family Support Coordinator, who in this episode of Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation speaks about her important role in supporting those families who have lost a loved one and who have gone on to becom
Episode 4 - Brooke Huuskes
I remember sitting in a room with my nephrologist and my mum and my dad and they were talking about dialysis. It just seemed like the scariest thing to me. The thought of going from being so free to live my life, travelling and scuba diving, to being on a machine three times a week in hospital. That dialysis talk was really terrifying. That was when my dad said: Whatever happens, I’m going to donate a kidney to you.” These are the words of Brooke Huuskes, who is forever grateful that
Episode 3 - Andrew Martin
“It was one of the worst moments we could have experienced as parents. We’d gone to hospital thinking that we were going to get turned around and sent back home being over-anxious parents. To go from what we didn’t think was going to be an issue, to suddenly having our six-week old baby on life support, was numbing and shocking.” These are the words of Andrew Martin, who reflects on the frightening moment he and wife Kylie faced when their precious baby daughter Ellie was
Episode 2 - Bonnie Power
“His organs went to other people that needed them. That’s one part of his legacy – that he’s gone on to help those organ recipients and their families. I’m so proud of Jack.” These are the heartfelt words of Bonnie Power, whose 10-year-old son Jack died from a catastrophic brain injury after a road accident in 2018. In the second episode of Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation, podcast host Michael Billings speaks to Bonnie about the heart-breaking
Episode 1 - James Sheppard
“Hi, I’m James Sheppard and I’m here for a heart transplant.” These were the words of heart recipient James Sheppard when he arrived at The Alfred Hospital’s Emergency Department after receiving the call he’d been waiting for – a donor heart had become available. In the first episode of Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation, podcast host Michael Billings speaks to James about his heart condition, restrictive cardiomyopathy – “it was like
Intro - Michael Billings
Follow the touching and captivating stories from organ and tissue recipients, donor families, living donors, and expert medical and nursing specialists in DonateLife Victoria’s new podcast, Let’s Talk Organ and Tissue Donation. In stirring interviews, podcast host Michael Billings unearths the personal stories behind rare organ donation and transplantation cases, receiving ‘the call’, the donation journey, and the life-changing moments for everyone involved. Join u