Jersey Day 2022
By Bev Jordan
What started out as a local campaign to get more people to register for organ donation has grown into a major Australiawide movement with sporting greats, schools, businesses, and politicians, all-embracing Jersey Day.
The annual Jersey Day event was founded by the Hills-based Gremmo family in 2015 to encourage people to start a conversation with family and friends about organ donation and to raise awareness of The Organ and Tissue Authority and the Donate Life network.
The Jersey Day campaign honours the memory of 13-year-old Nathan Gremmo who lost his life following a road accident in Glenhaven on April 30 in 2015. The Year 8 Oakhill College student passed away in hospital the next day and his organs were donated, saving six other lives.
Months before his death, Nathan had watched a documentary about organ donation and spoke to his family about it which is why his parents Michael and Kylie, and sisters Annaliese and Ashley supported his wish to be organ donors. They describe Nathan: as “a boy with a unique sense of humour, a love for animals, and an insatiable energy for life.”
His sister Annaliese said: “I believe we all should live our lives the same way as my brother did with his selfless, caring and respectful nature. Nathan’s last Instagram post only hours before his tragic accident was: You only live once, but if you do it right once is enough.
“Each Jersey Day we are simply asking everybody to wear a Jersey to school or work, and most importantly have a conversation with their friends and family about Organ and Tissue Donation.
“Our family has endured the cruelest possible circumstances. I can only think that if our circumstances were reversed and Nathan was desperate for an Organ Donation we would move heaven and Earth to save my brother; However, the reality is that we would be waiting for a generous organ donor family to save Nathan’s life.”
According to Donatelife there were 349,947 new registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Registry in 2021 _ an increase of 87% on the previous year. In 2020 there were 186,656 new registrations _ an increase of 16%.
Make your decision count by joining the Australian Organ Donation Register at www.donatelife.gov.au.
THE FACTS
• Organ donation can save up to 7 lives.
•Around 1,750 Australians are currently waitlisted for a transplant.
• Another 13,000 are on dialysis, some need a kidney transplant.
• In 2021 an amazing 1,174 lives were transformed by organ donations and 2,413 corneal transplants were carried out.
• 7 in 10 Australians are willing to become an organ donor this increases to 9 out of 10 families saying yes, if their loved one is a registered donor.
• When the family is unaware, only 4 out of 10 families agree to donation.
• Only around 2% of people who die in hospital can be considered for organ donation
• State based driver’s license donor registries no longer exist. To become an organ donor, you need to join the Australian Organ Donor Register at www.donatelife.gov.au
For more information about Jersey Day head to the website: www.jerseyday.com.au
