An organ donation changed this man's life

About seven years ago Mr Cook, of Frankford, in Tasmania's North West, was constantly getting sick with bad cases of gout, so debilitating he could not get out of bed or walk.

He went to his local general practitioner but was then referred to a specialist who sent him to get a biopsy.

Mr Cook was told he had a disease where both his kidneys were deteriorating.

"Then on night a couple of years ago I was going to bed and had a bad pain in my back," he said.

"I thought I had pulled a muscle. Turned out it was my kidney bleeding."

However, Mr Cook did not find that out for six weeks until he went to the doctor and got an ultrasound.

He had an operation a month later to remove his kidney and was put straight onto dialysis, of which he was just finishing his home training for when he got the news he needed to be in Melbourne in six hours time to get a transplant.

"It was terrifying," Mr Cook said.

"[My mental health] is pretty good now, looking on the bright side of life. My mental heath when I found out about the kidney disease was like the end of the world."

Mr Cook was in hospital for five days, in Melbourne for two weeks as an outpatient, and then was able to come home to Tasmania.

"It's unreal. My whole life has changed," he said.

"Now I don't get any of the side affects of dialysis and I wake up full of energy.

"I never thought I'd get this again."

READ MORE: COVID-19 dealt organ donation a huge blow in 2020

Mr Cook was an avid gardener before his health issues and is now back on track to do what he loves once again.

"It was a shock. I didn't think I was sick, and you don't know you're sick with kidney disease either.

"I've actually got a future whereas I gave up before."

Mr Cook, who was registered as an organ donor before he found out he was sick, said he wanted to normalise talking to loved ones about donating.

"Donate. You can't use it if you're not here.

"I do think [the person who donated] is a hero."

DonateLife Tasmania's executive and communications officer Davin Hibberd said many people were faced with a lack of hope during COVID-19, when kidney transplant programs were suspended.

"Kidney transplant programs nationally were suspended from late March through until mid May, and that was devastating for anybody who was potentially waiting for a kidney during that time," he said.

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However, 41 lives were still saved in Australia in 2020, thanks to the generosity of 13 Tasmanian organ and tissue donors and their families.

"Tony's new lease on life, and the opportunities that he's got ... have only been possible because one family somewhere said yes."

Fifteen eye donations were also made in the state.

"Despite the challenge of COVID restrictions last year, this is a good outcome for Tasmania," Mr Hibberd said.

"Tasmanians are broadly very supportive of organ and tissue donation, 48.5 per cent of the registerable population 16 years and older have joined the Australian Organ Donor Register."

Mr Hibberd said around 1650 people were currently wait-listed for a transplant in Australia, with a further 12,000 people on dialysis who may also need a kidney.

"Nationally, 1270 lives were saved [last year] due to the generosity of 463 deceased organ donors and their families."

"There was a 12 per cent decrease in transplant recipients and 16 per cent decrease in organ donors from the outcomes in 2019."

To register as an organ donor visit donatelife.gov.au.