A four-year-old boy living a happy life after a life-saving transplant has inspired Blacktown City Council employees to don their club colours for organ donation initiative Jersey Day.
Sydney pre-school student Kayden is enjoying playing with family and friends after receiving a liver transplant as a baby.
He was born with a rare liver condition called Biliary Artesia that scars and blocks bile ducts.
Kayden was very sick and urgently needed a liver transplant from an organ donor.
After months of waiting, a suitable donor was found and the transplant operation in 2020 was a success.
Kayden’s grandmother Michelle Adamson said organ donation gave the little boy a second chance at life.
“Kayden is doing puzzles and running around at the park now, all because someone registered to be an organ donor,” she said.
Ms Adamson shared Kayden’s story with colleagues at Council. They decided to participate in Jersey Day to raise awareness and help more people like Kayden.
About 70 Council employees donned uniforms from AFL, basketball, rugby, league, soccer and more and congregated at Civic Plaza, Blacktown, recently to show their support.
Jersey Day was officially held on Friday 30 August and people at workplaces and schools were encouraged to take part.
The initiative was created by the Gremmo family who lost their 13-year-old boy Nathan following a car crash in 2015.
The family’s decision for Nathan to be an organ donor saved the lives of six people.
Jersey Day has led more people to register to be organ donors and save lives, although more donors are needed.
Organ donation facts
• There are about 1,800 Australians waiting for a transplant and 14,000 people on dialysis who could benefit from a transplant
• In 2023, more than 4,360 Australians benefited from eye and tissue transplants
• While most Australians support organ and tissue donation, one in three (36 per cent) are registered to be a donor
