THANKYOU for THE GREATEST GIFT -- Transplant Australia

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The Gift of Life - Transplant is Life Giving.

THANKYOU for THE GREATEST GIFT — Transplant Australia

Wearing their ‘The Greatest Gift’ hats, hundreds of organ and tissue donors and their families, living donors, transplant recipients, healthcare professionals, researchers, carers and advocates of organ donations walked the THANKYOU rally around Darling Harbour to mark The Greatest Gift. In a national celebration of 60 years of transplants in Australia, the 31^st International Congress of the Transplantation Society is held at Darling Harbour 20-25^th September. It recognises the impactful presentations on advances in transplantation, the emotional journey of transplantation, living well after transplantation, personal experiences from transplant recipients, international and Australian transplant leaders who work to future advances. The lack of organ donations is heartbreaking as ‘The Greatest Gift’ is gifting life to another person.

There are so many personal stories in the conference room. Gratitude from Tory Gervay who received a kidney transplant at Prince of Wales Hospital last year changed her life from dialysis and constant hospitalizations. The support of her doctors, family, friends and the invaluable kidney donation enabled her to live her life. She could look after her four-year-old daughter Violet Rose and engage in the community. She was lucky to receive an organ transplant. In 2025, DonateLife reported 2,000 Australians were on an organ-transplant waiting list. Approximately 14,000 people were on dialysis for kidney failure. There were 230 living kidney donors. There were 1,438 recipients of deceased-donor organ transplants.

It was inspirational listening to the journeys of organ recipients. Fiona Coote AM, Australian heart transplant recipient renowned for becoming the country's youngest at age 14 when she underwent her first such procedure on 8 April 1984 at St Tory and Violet Gervay

Vincent's Hospital in Sydney performed by pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Victor Change. This transplant, the fourth heart procedure in Australian history. As the longest-surviving heart transplant recipient in Australia, now over 40 years since her first operation, Fiona Coote has defied initial medical expectations that she might live only five additional years post-transplant.

The mother and daughter team of Maddie & Amanda Dominello was deeply moving. Amanda Dominello is a living kidney donor who donated her kidney to her adolescent daughter with chronic kidney disease. It was a difficult journey but one that is defining. Amanda is a passionate advocate for improved support and systems for people with kidney disease and their carers and for equity in the availability and accessibility of resources and services.

The forum was chaired by Professor Angela Webster Medical Director, Transplant Australia and Roxanne Perry Kidney Health Manager, Kidney Health Australia. It opened with Professor Bob Montgomery, Chair of Surgery and Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute opened the talk about advances in transplantation and was followed by doctors, researchers, health professionals including Dr Kirsty Morris, Senior Staff Specialist, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Professor Peter MacDonald Senior Staff Cardiologist, St Vincent’s Hospital, Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani Director, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, St Baker-Soyer Chair in Dermatology, Dr Helen Vidot Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Specialist Dietitian, Liver Disease and Transplantation.