"Can I have your heart?"

Your heart.

If you're a born romantic (guilty), you have probably spent a large portion of your life talking about your heart in the metaphorical sense. You've given it away. You've had it broken. You've patched it up again. Repeat...

If you're an athlete or sports enthusiast, your life has probably been geared towards your heart's efficiency; how can I make it stronger? Last out for longer?

If you were born with a heart condition or a family history of heart problems, like me, you may have spent more time than most thinking about yours. 

In my family,  we have always been aware of the value one heart can hold. On a cold February night in 1982, my mum and brother were anxiously waiting at Harefield hospital as Magdi Yacoub performed the 29th UK Heart Transplant on my father. At only 32 years old, he was one of the youngest in Harefield's Transplant Programme which pioneered in 1980.

My dad's operation was a success and a year later, I was born, making me the first baby in Europe to be born to a heart transplant patient. My sister was then born a few years later.

My dad died in 1994 when I was 11. As a small child I would trace my finger down the zip shaped scar on his chest and even then, I knew its significance. I remember asking him how did it feel, to feel your heart beating, knowing it wasn't the one you were born with?

As I've grown, I've often thought about the young car accident victim whose heart was given to my father. Who was that man? Where was he going when his car veered off the road that night? How was his heart feeling that day? Was it bursting with happiness? Was it broken?

To me, this anonymous man is just as responsible for my life than my mother and father. It's amazing to think that from one tragic death, my dad's life was prolonged long enough for him to have me and my sister (you lucky, lucky people ;-)  I know my dad was full of bottomless gratitude for his donor, his donor's family and the sacrifice they made that night in the Emergency Room.

There are around 3500 heart transplants performed worldwide each year. Spain is the world leader, with 34 donors per million of their population. So where does Australia compare?

Australia is a World leader for successful organ transplants, but astonishingly has one of the lowest donation rates in the developed World. In 2009, only half of the organ needs were met. This is something that they are striving to change here.

It's not that Australians are not humanitarian in nature; in fact a survey showed that 77% of Australians were willing to be donors, but most of them had not legally registered as donors. In this case, family members can override your decision and the final decision is left with them, which is where the problem arises. The family consent rate sits at about 55%.

Last year the nationwide 'OK' campaign was launched in Australia, to raise awareness of organ donation and to urge people to let their family members know their wishes. Only 1 in 5 Australians had discussed organ donation with their loved ones.

Deciding to be a donor is a personal choice and requires you to think about our own mortality for a moment, but once the decision is made make sure it's recorded. Registering to become a donor is linked to your medicare number and only takes a moment. http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/services/aodr/index.jsp

Bit intense for a first blog....lighter next time! :)

Lauren x