Donor Conversation Week: 'It brings peace of mind when organ donation has been discussed'
7 oktober 2023
Talk to your loved ones about your choice in the Donor Register. This way, you help them during sad moments and provide clarity.
Monday, October 9, marks the start of Donor Conversation Week. With this campaign week, the Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) lowers the threshold for talking to each other about the choice in the Donor Register.
And that is important. Because everyone is in the Donor Register, but by no means does everyone know the choice of their loved one. That is why the NTS is drawing attention to the donor conversation under the campaign title 'Just ask!'
Talking to loved ones is important
Everyone aged 18 and over is in the Donor Register. But when a loved one dies (suddenly), do you know what that person's choice is? By talking to each other, you prevent your loved ones from being surprised, not knowing your stance, or having to make difficult choices while they are already grieving. ICU doctor Diederik Gommers says about this: 'For all parties, it brings peace of mind when you know what someone would have wanted. Despite the enormous emotions and grief that prevail.' And donation intensivist Farid Abdo shares from his own practice: 'A few weeks after a death in the ICU, we have a follow-up conversation with the bereaved. We notice that people who were aware of the donor choice look back on it better. And that it can help in the grieving process.'
Donor Conversation Week
During the campaign week, talking to each other about organ donation is normalized. NTS Director Naomi Nathan: 'Organ donation often seems like a distant prospect. But in the end, it can happen to anyone. Suppose you end up in the Intensive Care unit and, in the worst-case scenario, the doctor has to talk to your loved ones about your choice in the Donor Register. Then it helps enormously if you have already discussed how you feel about it at home. That conversation doesn't have to be heavy or tense. The NTS encourages this conversation.' The campaign can be seen in the media, on social media, and in podcasts. In videos, doctors and bereaved relatives explain the importance of talking about organ donation. Hospitals in the Netherlands are also participating.
