When You No Longer Need Your Organs, Who Gets Them?

At the Australian Rotaract Conference in Melbourne earlier this year, I was privileged to be in the room to hear Allan Turner, founder of Zaidee's Rainbow Foundation, share his heartfelt story.

His daughter Zaidee – aged 7 years died suddenly in 2004 from a burst blood vessel in her brain. At the time of Zaidee’s death the Turner family had been registered Organ and Tissue Donors for 5 years. As a result Zaidee donated her Organs and Tissues at the Royal Children’s Hospital, as were her wishes at the time. From this gift, the lives of up to seven other people were improved or saved. She was only 1 of 6 children nationally to donate their organs.

Listening to Allan talk about his journey since losing his daughter - a journey of hope as they run a foundation aimed at inspiring discussion about organ and tissue donation - it reminded me that it is not enough to just be a donor. Your family needs to know your wishes as well. Many donors' organs are not used, because their families did not know their choice, and when under the gun in a situation where they are about to lose a loved one, they chose not to give their organs.

Zaidee’s gift of her organs to others will allow them to have another birthday. 1 in 5 people on the transplant waiting list will never get the chance to have another birthday if people do not become registered donors.

In 2004, 130,000 Australians died. Only 218 were Organ Donors whose families also knew their wishes.

Now is the time to become an organ donor.

Some see it as giving part of themselves

so another can live.

Others see it as another allowing you to live on.

Whatever way you see it,

it's your chance to make a difference to another human.

There is no greater gift.

Make sure you tell your loved ones of your decision.

Ask them to honour it.

Think about giving this gift to others so they can live a better life and in some cases, have a second chance at life. Once you've made your choice, discuss it with your family. I am an organ and tissue donor, and my whole family knows about it. What about you?

'You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.'

Kahlil Gibran

Take A Walk Down Memory Lane

Those who know me personally, know what a photo-taking freak I am. I document my life like there is no tomorrow. A close friend and I once took 7,000 photos during a 12-day trip to Thailand. Our record would be 1,200 on an overnight stay at Yosemite National Park.

There are a few probable reasons behind my photographic addiction. I have a lot of happy or funny moments and I like to share them with other people. If one day when I am old and have dimentia, I would like for these photos to be available to fill in the gaps. Mostly, I just like being able to flick through photos from years gone by and reflect on the great adventures I have had, and the wonderful people that shared the journey with me.

Now is the time to trawl through your photos.

Journey back in time,

through your treasure trove of memories.

Look deeply into the important images.

Lose yourself in them:

recall those who have made the journey with you.

Savour them.

Learn from them. 

So take a quick trip (or a long one if time allows) down memory lane. Smile at the moments you've captured. Laugh at the memories you've triggered. Then share them with someone else who might enjoy them. Below is one of the random photos I just came across from December 2009.

My friend Mat and I were so far ahead of the competition in Lawn Bowls that we decided to give the others a chance to catch up. So everytime I took a turn, Mat covered my eyes and I bowled blind. When Mat bowled, he gave me a piggy back so I could cover his eyes, and he too bowled blind. Funnily enough, the photo below was of the shot that one the tournament! Makes me smile everytime I see it. I just sent a copy to Mat so that he can remember the fun we had that night!

So go down memory lane, and take a friend on the journey with you! Enjoy!

Appreciate Greatness

In Australia, we have a thing against flowers. In particular, poppy flowers. Especially, tall poppy flowers.

Tall poppy syndrome is a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers. Which is so wrong, I don't know where to begin, but here goes...

Now is the time to appreciate greatness.

Some people deserve our admiration.

Too often we deny it to them

because of jealousy or cynicism.

Give respect and admiration where it is due.

Men like Nelson Mandela and women

like Mother Teresa epitomise greatness.

Acknowledging their greatness does them,

and us, credit.

Now whilst we don't all know people of the same acclaim as Mandela or Mother Teresa, in our own worlds, and on our own scales of awesomeness, we all know great people. People who inspire us to do more with our lives. People who show us what humans are truly capable of. People who change the world for the better.

Do not waste time being jealous, spend a moment telling them they inspire you, and then do something with that inspiration. You never know - but your words might just make their day, or help them through a tough time, or reinvigorate them to keep on keeping on.

A fellow Rotaractor (who I  see as a shining example of greatness in my generation) wrote me a thirteen word message of encouragement the other day. It was simple. To the point. It totally made my day. It reminded me why I dedicate so much of my time to Splash for Cash and other Rotaract projects. When I see her in 48 hours I am going to hug and thank her.

So go do it - right now - send an email, or a Facebook post, or an SMS or do it face to face - tell someone you consider great just how great they are, and let them inspire you to your own personal greatness.

'No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own littleness
than disbelief in great men."

Thomas Carlyle

Don't Love It? Then Don't Live It!

I was re-reading a favourite little trinket of a book 'Words Are Not Things' this morning. This whole little book is full of random food for thought concepts. Like the text on the back cover which is upside down says "The back cover can pretend to be the front cover if you print it upside down". Truly random thoughts fill every page of the book, but one particular page jumped out at me today.

If there is a part of your life you don't want, don't live it

I think the reason this line grabbed me was because I am currently busy shaking up my life. All who know me, know I am a happy person by nature. However, in recent months I had come to realise that my general happiness with the status quo that is my everyday life, was allowing me to become complacent. I was content with life in general, and I allowed this feeling to dominate my thoughts.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being happy and content. Quite the opposite actually. I firmly believe that people should be generally happy with their lot in life. We should make the best of what is thrown our way. It seems to me though, that I am not the only one who allows 'feeling good about life' to prevent them from making changes to improve the parts of their life they don't like.

I figured it was time to step up and admit to myself what things in my life I wasn't happy with. Once done, I made an action plan to affect change in these areas. Last month I worked on decluttering my life and finally got on top of my messy habits. Now my key focus is on improving my fitness levels as I work towards swimming 22 kilometres (approximately 14 miles) at the Splash for Cash swimathon next year to raise thousands of dollars for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.

I have a list of other things my life that are okay, but not great, and an action plan on how I am going to change them for the better. I am stoutly refusing to live the parts of my life that I am not content with and that are anything less than the greatness I am capable of.

I believe every person is capable of greatness. The definition of what constitutes greatness will vary from person to person, but just the same, I would love to live in a world where every person strives to discover their own personal greatness; a world where we stop accepting the status quo in our lives and start chasing after the lives we truly want.

Stop waiting for it to happen... go MAKE it happen!

Time Is Money... So Spend It Wisely

I went to the cinemas last night to see the new Justin Timberlake / Amanda Seyfried movie "In Time" - and I found the movie fascinating!

The basic premise of the movie, is a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year beyond that - and the currency of society is time. They 'earn' additional time through hard work or thievery, and 'spend' their minutes or hours on purchases like coffee, cars, rent etc.

The notion of time is money is not a new one, but this movie explores that notion in a literal sense. The ghetto was filled with people who were time-poor and living from day to day, not game to waste a minute, living life in the fast-lane. The upper class have centuries to live, but they take life at such a slow and leisurely pace that they never really live a day in their life.

The concept is not really that far off reality. So many of us take time for granted. We act like we've got time to burn. True the vast majority of us are going to live well beyond the 25 years of age that many died at in the movie, but the harsh reality of life is that we don't know which day is going to be our last. As anyone who has lost someone they love to illness or accident long before old-age took hold can attest, you should always cherish today.

Yesterday is a cancelled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely.

Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. So don't miss it. Don't waste it. Get out there and make the most of it!

Ignore Your Limitations

Ever doubted your ability to complete a task? Ever thrown in the towel on something because you did not feel you were capable? Ever aspire towards something great, but second guess yourself along the way?

My advice?
Ignore your limitations.
90% of the time it is simply a case of working out a way to get around them.
100% of the time you are better for the journey towards a goal regardless of whether you got the end result you were after or not.

Ignore Your Limitations

Limitations are just guideposts.

They may signal different routes

or different ways to reach a destination.

But they won't prevent us from getting there,

unless we empower them to do so.

Ignore them,

focus on the journey.

One of my biggest pet hates in my circle of friends, is seeing people with the potential for greatness, hold themselves back from even trying something out. I can never understand what they are so afraid of? The best thing about stepping up to a challenge and giving it a whirl, is that if things do not go according to plan, you have a great group of people behind you - lifting you up, encouraging you, supporting you, helping you to acheive your goal. It is better to have tried and failed, than to not have tried at all.

When a friend of mine came to me and asked me if I would take on running a Splash for Cash swimathon for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, I balked. I had the passion to do it for sure, but I knew that my biggest limitations - procrastinating and leaving things to the last minute - could potentially lead to failure which was not an option when volunteering for my favourity charity. But I stepped up anyway. I ignored my limitations and worked my way around them, putting measures in place to make sure we were successful.

Looking back now, I am so grateful that I took that leap of faith, as it has taken me on a completely unexpected journey. That Splash for Cash swimathon - at Macquarie University in 2009 - saw 60 swimmers raise $12,000. With the support of an amazing network of Rotaractors, I am now busily working on taking our event onto the national stage, with Splash for Cash swimathons in the work in various locations around Australia and the aim of raising over $100,000 in 2012. Would any of this be happening if I had let my limitations dictate my life back in 2009? Not a chance.

So what are you waiting for? Take a risk! Take a leap of faith! Chase a dream.

Where there is a will, there is a way! So go for it!

For more information about the 2012 Splash for Cash,

please visit www.splashforcash.com.au or

email me at krissie.mchenry@gmail.com

Cherish your family

In the past few months, several people close to me have lost someone they loved. My own family is soon to lose a family friend. Life is full of surprises. Great ones and terrible ones. Our job is to seize every moment that we have so that we can live a life without regret. And it is in that context that I offer up this piece of food for thought today.

Now is the time to cherish your family.

They may exasperate and infuriate us.

But they are one of our most precious possessions.

Don't take them for granted.

We never how long we will have them,

or they us.

They are our mirror and our anchor.

Treasure your time with them.

Don't go to bed angry. Don't let someone leave the house without telling them you love them. Let the last interaction you have with a person before you part ways be a positive one. You never know when it might be your last. Some might say that is a morbid way to look at things, but I disagree wholeheartedly, because every time you part with a small nicety being exchanged, you make the world a little bit happier of a place. And that can never be a bad thing.