Projects

Projects

Medical professionals

Healthcare providers have a relationship with the family member/s of the deceased and their professional experience plays a role in increasing knowledge of families regarding organ donation.
Some medical professionals will decide not to have the conversation with the family based on their cultural and religious beliefs. Rather refer all potential donors and give the family the option to consent to donation. People of different ethnicities and races match each other for organs and tissue.

If you’re a medical professional and want to refer a potential organ donor please call your local
Transplant Coordinator.

Shadow Surgery

As future healthcare professionals, the students need to understand the organ and tissue donation process, for when they are working in the hospitals and the situation arises that there is a potential donor, they will have the correct information and to refer the potential donor to the transplant coordinator. These students are part of the community and by educating them, we hope that they will become ambassadors for organ and tissue transplants

TELL in collaboration with Wits Donald Gordon Medical Transplant Centre launched the Shadow Surgery programme. We approached the TUKS Student Surgical Society and the Wits Student Surgical Society to partner with us to reach medical students at the universities, both of these societies focusing on the surgical field. TELL’s role in the programme is to manage the administration and marketing.

Our partnership with the transplant unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre gives medical students the opportunity to spend the day with the transplant team. They accompany the team on their ward rounds, have the opportunity to talk to various specialists and then the highlight is to witness a liver or kidney transplant from beginning to end. This education programme gives much-needed exposure to the students and foster a positive attitude towards organ and tissue donation, which is vital for referring potential donors to transplant centres.

If you want get involved and help us continue this project, please get in touch with us.

Organ Donation: From Death to Life

Open online course

Developed and Presented by Dr David Thomson, critical-care specialist and transplant surgeon.

The goal of the course is to educate health professionals on organ donation, covering the intricacies of the entire organ donation process, including the prerequisites of informed consent and the dead donor rule.

In this course you will learn about the science behind death determination and when it is possible for deceased organ donation take place. The lectures will cover medical standards at the end of life – from brain death testing, to requesting informed consent from a grieving family. By improving knowledge of good ethical practices, cultural and religious considerations and the logistics of the organ donation process this course will empower the interactions and discussions of medical professionals and the general public at an often confusing time.

This course will help you to ensure that the option of organ donation is compassionately explored in all appropriate situations at the end of life in the best way possible.

Watch the course trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-kVtmZGRs

“I firmly believe that with a better understanding of all that is involved, we can greatly improve the number of lives saved by transplantation.” D Thomson

The course is certified for continuing professional development (CPD) points in South Africa. Send your completion certificate to organdonation@uct.ac.za together with your HPCSA number for 25 general and 5 ethics points.

Educational Talks

In South Africa there is a desperate need for educating medical staff about organ donation. A big contributing factor to the shortage of organs is unidentified potential donors. We have shared our personal stories, as well as general facts about organ and tissue donation with emergency medical staff, nursing staff and doctors, with extremely positive feedback. We do this either on our own per invitation, or alongside transplant coordinators as a part of their in-service training.

Please contact usto discuss any of the following events or opportunities.
● CPD events
● Motivational speaking
● Presentations to medical staff
● Presentations to medical students

The focus of the presentation will cover topics such as the need for organ and tissue donors and the transplant process.

If you want us to present a talk please click here

Projects

Patients

The Zane Project

We have created a mascot from our educational toy, Zane The Unicorn. One of his parts was no longer working and a spare part was donated to him from a zebra. Zane now spends his days telling kids how important it is to SHARE THEIR SPARE and how being born different is ok. Zane brings joy to the children that usually spend an extended period at the hospital. The mascot is also used at events to attract attention and start the conversation around organ and tissue donation. We found that by using Zane’s story, children can understand organ and tissue donation and don’t find the concept frightening.

Do you wish to share your spare funds and donate a mini Zane to a child?

Support Group

Whilst waiting for an organ transplant, many patients seek the support of fellow patients to help them feel more at ease with the concept. Post transplant, although life is much better, patients still have to navigate many physical and emotional obstacles and again a support group is much needed.

We have created a forum where patients feel safe to ask questions and share their journeys.

Projects

Public

#MakeItKnown

In order to become an organ donor you need to have the necessary conversations with your friends and family to make your wishes known.

They are the ones who make the final decision, and it won’t be an easy one. Be brave enough to start the conversation that matters most. Tell them. In person, on social media, via WhatsApp, however you choose. As long as you make it known. Because the most important part of organ donation is conversation.

Why quotation marks? Because they’re more than a brandmark, they’re the start of the most important conversation you’ll ever have.

Why not #MakeItKnown by getting a tattoo of the TELL quotation marks at one of our participating tattoo studios. Some of the studios are offering the tattoo for free while others are charging R100-R300 to cover their costs. Not everyone wants a tattoo though, so we encourage everyone to get involved and find creative ways to #MakeItKnown. Have the quotation marks shaved into your hair, painted on your nails, sewed onto a shirt… As long as you #MakeItKnown and share it with us and the world. If you are a Tattoo Artist and would like to know more, please contact us to discuss how to get involved.

Ride For A Purpose

We are looking at various sporting events to raise awareness and funds.

We are entering a team for the Virgin Active Ride Joburg on 17 November 2024. To join our team, just enter the race with the code: for 97km TTT-509 and 35km TTT-509 

The advantages of riding for the Tell team:

  • Favourable start time (usually between 08:15 – 08:40)
  • Raising funds for Tell and creating awareness for organ donation
  • Early collection of race pack
  • Awesome goody bag
  • Hospitality stand

We ask that each cyclist assist with raising funds for TELL. 

Team TELL was represented by 14 cyclists riding the 97km and 35km at the 947 Virgin Active Ride Joburg on Sunday 20 November 2022.

We co-hosted a fun walk with GTSA at the Big Red Barn (Centurion) on 12 February 2022. 

Join our team and help us start the conversation around organ and tissue donation.

Tell your community

Ok so you’ve told your family you’re an organ donor – now what? Thank you for sharing such an important decision so that you may save 8 lives and change up to 50 lives one day! Now we’re asking you to take it a step further and TELL YOUR COMMUNITY. We’ve created some downloadable posters that you can print out and laminate or simply share on social media. Ask your doctors rooms, your gym, your church, your work, your hair salon or even your local grocery store if you can stick up a poster and help us educate South Africans about the importance of organ and tissue donation.

Please send us a pic of your poster displayed in your chosen community centre – we’d love to see and share it on social media!