Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The last thing you want to be told as a parent is that there are no compatible matches or no available donors for your child to save their life. Despite a worldwide search for a stem cell match for my Henry, we didn't find one. My youngest son, Zac, an imperfect match, eventually donated when we had run out of time. Henry had his bone marrow transplant in May 2023; he passed in February 2024.

This week is DonateLife Week to encourage more Australians to get behind organ and tissue donation. Four in five Australians say they support organ and tissue donation, but only one in three is registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register. Registering to save a life is pretty easy to do online, but the impact of filling out a simple form for organ and tissue donation will save someone—it will save someone's Henry.

I also want to thank our blood, plasma and stem cell donors. Blood donors saved my life when I lost my leg in 2011. Blood and plasma donors also keep many people with cancer alive, including my Henry. Every 27 minutes in Australia, someone will be diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia—like my Henry—and many will need a bone marrow transplant. Please donate to save a life; it is the ultimate gift.

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