June 1, 2025 • 34 mins
Today we chat with the remarkable Donation Specialist Nurse Georgie Callaghan.
I had a wonderful chat with Georgie about her background as an intensive care nurse and how her experience in this specialty has allowed her to work within organ donation. We discuss her role in assisting families in making the often heart-rending decision to donate a loved one’s organs due to many differing circumstances. We also chat about how donating can help so many people through life-threatening medical conditions.
Georgie and I talk about how this role can take a toll both mentally and physically on nurses within this specialty of organ donation and the importance of self-care and tenderness to self as a nurse in her position. This is a beautiful chat about the gift of life families can give others when they themselves are going through heartbreaking situations.
If you would like to become an organ donor or want to check your status, please head to the following link: https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today
This episode has been sponsored by our friends at Nutricia, and for that I am truly grateful.
This episode was created independently by the speakers, and the views expressed herein are those of the speakers, not of Nutricia. This content is intended for healthcare professionals. Medical professionals should rely on their own skill and assessment of individual patients. Early Life Nutrition & Medical Advice | Nutricia Australia
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tendernessnurses
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Appogia production.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hi everyone, thank you for tuning back into Tenantus for Nurses.
I suspec Woodbine here this season. I am so excited
to announce that the podcast is being supported by Nutritia,
which is a global leader in medical nutrition. They understand
the needs of nurses in the nutrition space and for
over one hundred and twenty five years have provided products
(00:31):
to support child health. Some of Nutrita's pediatric brands include
Neo Kate Junior for children who have food allergies and
app to Grow for those fussy eaters. And those of
us who have children know many kids who go through
the phases of definite fussiness. For more information and resources,
visit the nutritiona Pediatrics hub at nutritia dot com dot
(00:54):
au forward slash Pediatrics. I just want to say a
huge thank you to Nutritia. Their desire to support nurses
is truly appreciated, and they are allowing me to continue
this podcast so that we could all grow as nurses.
This season, we have some amazing speakers in the pediatric
space which I cannot wait to share with you all. Hi,
my name's Beck Woodbine and welcome to Tenderness for nurses.
(01:17):
I'm grateful for the person that I have the opportunity
to be.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So I hit it and parked it for Nellie four years.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
We always have free will, We always get to choose.
We are autonomous. Hi everyone, thank you for tuning in
too Tenderness for Nurses Again. Today we have a really
fantastic Part A and Part B podcast. Today I am
interviewing Georgia Callahan from Donate Life and she is the
(01:46):
donation Specialist Nursing Coordinator DAN in Victoria. And then we
are speaking with Justine Holloway, who is the acting Nurse
Services Manager for Donate Life Victoria. Thank you Georgie for
taking the time to chat with.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Me today, No worry, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So can you just give us a little bit of
background on you and your nursing career state.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, so I've been a nurse for about fourteen or
fifteen years now. I actually grew up in Adelaide where
I did all of my undergraduate study, and part of
that I really fell in love with critical care nursing.
So I first started working in a small ed and
from that I did a bit of postgrad where they
(02:31):
offered me the opportunity to go up to the intensive
care unit to just, I suppose further develop my critical
care skills and did about six weeks up there, and
during that time I felt quite nervous. There were lots
of beats that was really scary, and wasn't quite sure
if that was the place for me, and had always
thought that i'd probably stay back down in emergency. And
(02:54):
then in that sort of last week, it all kind
of clicked for me and I just really fell in
love with intensive care nursing, so I did a graduate
diploma in that. When decided I wanted to develop my
skills in a bigger ICU that had a few different
specialties that we didn't have in the same way in Adelaide,
which is how I ended up working at the outfit
(03:16):
in their intensive care unit, and I started there back
in twenty fifteen, and from that really just started at
the bedside, predominantly working with cardiac patients, as that was
a bit of a specialty in the unit I was
working in in Adelaide. As a result of that, started
working with some people waiting for their transplants and then
after their transplant operations as well, and that was an
(03:40):
incredibly powerful thing for me to see just how significantly
people's lives could change just through the power of being
a transplant recipient. Really, and then as I progressed through
the ICU, I sort of started doing a bit more
in charge and became an ANUM then actually ended up
working as an ANAM in the trauma ICU. So during
(04:01):
that stint, I really then got to see the other side.
So patients who were admitted under very sort of unexpected
and often traumatic circumstances after they'd been in accidents, and
throughout their journey of care, if we were unable to
get them back to a good level of health and
a meaningful recovery, then unfortunately they would be transitioning to
(04:22):
end of life care. And then from that being part
of those end of life discussions, and then potential patients
going for organ donation, just seeing sort of that full
spectrum of that donation and transplantation journey and then really
developing a passion for end of life care. And that's
(04:44):
how I sort of then transitioned into working in organ
donation as a result of that and being able to
learn how to support families through a bit of a
different process related to end of life care.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Was that a specialized education for you to go into
end of life care and into the orgation side of things,
or was that just something you segued into quite seamlessly.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, So there's no further sort of formalized education you
do in the specialization of I suppose end of life
care or organ donation in particular. It's a very much
segue into that field. And then from their getting about
a six month training program with Donate Life, and that
(05:32):
really teaches you the you know, ways in which to
support families and communicate in a very care and respectful
manner and providing them with the information they need to
be able to make a decision that's right, so they
loved one and their family. And then from that you
know all of the other different processes and things that
go into getting someone ready for an organ donation operation
(05:55):
as well.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So do you still do work in ICU or you
full time with Donate Life.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So I a clinicleness consultant in I FEW at the Alfred,
but my specialty is organ donations, So we work for
semi clinically, I think is probably the easiest way to
describe it. So we'll still look at how we can
support our I few nursing and medical colleagues through the
end of life care processes. However, we are sort of
(06:25):
the designated nurses who will complete the work up and
information and data collection and supporting families through that organ
donation process.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Can you explain the process to us, because it seems
like there are quite a few steps.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
It is quite a big process. So, for example, when
I came on today, we will check our database to
see if we've received any referrals for any people who
might be going through end of life care. All patients
who are going through end of life care and an
ED and ICU should get referred to donate life for
consideration of organ and tissue donation. If we don't have
(07:05):
anyone sitting on our database, will attend morning meetings in
the ICU to see if there's any people who will
potentially be gong for end of life care. If we
do have referrals, will then be liaising closely with the
ic bedside nurses, the medical teams and any allied health
who are relevant to the patient's care just to see
(07:25):
where really the patients in regards to their stability and
then also more importantly, where the family's at in regards
to the prognosis of their loved one. We would never
get involved in any conversations around organ donation unless a
family were accepting a end of life care, just because
we know that that would be quite damaging and traumatic
(07:47):
to families to be raising this as an option when
they're not accepting of that transition of that active care
into more of one of comfort and dignity through palliative
sort of pathways. So if a family were ready to
sort of hear about the next steps in their love
one's care, we would then go into a family meeting
(08:09):
with the medical team, the bedside nurse. Sometimes we'll have
social work, sometimes we'll have interpreters if needed, and we
will meet with a patient's family and from that we
will gain a confirmation that they're understanding of transitioning to
end of life care. And then from that, when they're ready,
I will be introduced as a nurse with a predominantly
(08:34):
really to talk families through what those next steps will be,
and from that we really try and find out what's
going to be important to that patient and their family,
So if they have any spiritual or religious belief, if
there's any other important family members or friends who need
to come and see the patient in the ICU, and
once we've ascertained that we're meeting all of the other
(08:56):
needs of not only the patient but their family, I
will then provide them with some information about organ donation
and then from that there any questions that families may
have to help them make that decision, and part of
my role as well that I will check the Australian
Organ Donor Register as well, and if someone was registered,
(09:16):
we would share that information with the family. Conversely, even
if they had registered their decline for donation, we would
be quite transparent and open with families through that. But essentially,
if a family is open to exploring organ donation for
their loved one, we would then sit down with them
and in more detail provide them with information about what
the organ donation process looks like, the organs we think
(09:39):
they loved one may potentially be able to donate, and
then from that we do really detailed made a cool
questionnaire about their medical and social and lifestyle history, and
then we really start to collate a lot of information
about their loved ones health. We'll do some routine bloods
that screen for viral illness and any things like hepatitis, HIV,
(10:00):
anything that could be transmissible to a recipient. If we
discover anything that's an area of concern, we'll liaise with
medical specialists just to ensure that donation and transplantation is
safe to proceed, and then from that we'll start talking
to transplant units to i suppose find the best match
recipients for this potential donor. Then from that we will
(10:24):
liaise with the family very closely, and then we would
arrange a time essentially for the patient to go for
their donation operation, and then from that we would be
with the patient in that operation as well, still caring
for the patient and then ensuring all due processes followed
and that final check sort of in the donation safe
(10:45):
and transplantation safe to proceed, and then we share that
information and anatomy and things like that with the transplant units,
and then we make sure that those life changing organs
are able to get to the transplant centers as soon
as possible, just to ensure the best possible outcomes for
the recipients at the other end. And then we do
(11:06):
follow up with the family down the track and things
like that. But in a nutshell, that's probably a very
a bruised version of what we do when we involved
in someone going for organ donation.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Who actually initiates a conversation with the families.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Generally that will be us. So what I do as
a donation specialist, we will provide family generally about the
fact that their loved one is in intensive care on
breathing machines, ventilators and are being supported that they may
be in the rare position to help others through organ donation.
(11:42):
And then from that it's really how we can then
in a supportive and caring way, provide information to that
patient's family so they're able to make an enduring decision
for their loved one.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
On the whole. What is the response when you do
go into a meeting like this.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I think more often than not, is we wouldn't know
what our loved one would want. You know, we never
spoke about. And I think that's a really normal reaction
for families to have. I think a lot of the
time when people get admitted to the intensive care unit,
it's under quite unexpected and sometimes traumatic circumstances, and when
(12:21):
your otherwives fit and well, it's just not something you
would ever see happening to you or your loved ones.
So it's then how we can acknowledge and normalize that
for families that it is okay not to know, but
it's about then how we can provide information to them
to help try and have an informed decision and enduring
(12:43):
decisions for that family.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
In Victoria, I mean astray wide, there's the option for
people to put their name down to be an organ donor.
How uncommon is it that people do that?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, it's pretty uncommon actual effect. So we know that
the majority of Australians do support all donation, and we
know that the national average is about thirty six percent
of people have actually taken that step to register their
wish on the Australian organ don't register and even in
Victoria that's even lower than the national stent. So I
(13:20):
think we're seeing at about twenty five or twenty three
percent actually. So we know that when I've spoken with
families who have had a loved one who has registered
their wishes, you can just see a weight spin lifted
from their shoulders. That it then the burden of trying
to make quite a big decision on behalf of their
loved one. It really becomes more empowering to families. And
(13:43):
then it's how can we help our loved ones fulfill
that wish? And it's just a very different conversation where
I think families feel quite proud that their loved one
has taken the time and it's then for them to
be able to help fulfill that for them as part
of their end of life care.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yeah, I think it's very important. I've certainly put my
wishes down and we've discussed it previously on the podcast
for people to do that, because we actually have had
a couple of recipients that organ donation has saved their
life on the podcast and they are truly truly grateful.
So I actually, after speaking with one of them, went
(14:23):
home and checked that it was current and that I
definitely had done it. So those of you who are
listening and haven't checked, how would they checked Georgie to
make sure that they're on the register.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yeah, I think the easiest way is to go to
the Donate Life website and then from there you're able
to see if you're registered and if you're not, it
also sends you to a link where you're able to
then sign up on the register and all you need
is your Medicare card, So it is quite easy to do,
and yeah, you can even do it through the Medicare app,
and yeah the donate Life website which is Donatelife dot
(15:00):
dot au. But then I would also then encourage people
to talk to your families about the fact that, hey,
this is what I've done today, because it is surprising
that people, I suppose, don't assume that your family know
what you want. Speaking from personal experience as a nurse,
when I had signed up many years ago on the register,
(15:23):
I remember telling my parents at dinner because I was
still living at home, and my mum, who was also
a nurse, was really surprised that I had made that
decision in my early twenties, and then just seeing how
her perception had then shifted to be like, oh, wow, okay,
I understand why you would do that. So even from
(15:45):
a family of healthcare professionals, it was still a bit
of a shock to my family. So I think, you know,
never assume, and it is a bit of an awkward
conversation to have sometimes because it sometimes does feel like
it's coming out of left field, and we honestly hope
your family never has to make those decisions, but it's
just that piece of mind knowing that if Heaven forbid,
(16:07):
the worst thing were to happen, that your family would
know what your wishes were.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Absolutely. We had Mary Lee Miller spoke on our podcast
and her son Cole was killed with a coward's punch
here in the valley and she tells the story, and
she told it on the podcast how she was driving
down from the coast and she knew he had passed.
(16:32):
She just had this feeling, and she was a nicer
U nurse and she just knew that they had to
donate his organs and they did, and it does give
them comfort to know that he's living on in other
people and has saved other people. And you wouldn't wish
(16:53):
that on any family, on anyone ever, never, But how
brave was that family and she he speaks so highly
of the whole process of the organ donation and how
respectful everyone was here at the hospital and in Brisbane,
(17:15):
and that he lives on and I do believe it's
a source of comfort for.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Her And that's something that we do here from families.
One of our colleagues her role is purely to support
families who have had a loved one become an organ donor,
and we hear quite regularly that obviously it doesn't take
away the awful grief that they feel for the loss
of their loved one, often in very tragic circumstances, but
(17:42):
a lot of families feel proud in the fact that
they know that their loved one has been able to
help other people and help prevent other families from, I suppose,
feeling what they're feeling and losing a loved one through
the life changing power of organ transplantations. So I think
I agree with you, Beckett. You never wish this upon anyone,
(18:04):
and you really don't realish having these conversations, But to
seeing the power for families to be able to make
that decision for their loved one is pretty incredible. And
how selfless they are in wanting to help others in
the midst of their own very real, very raw grief
is something that I think is just such a uniquely
(18:27):
special part of the job that I do on It
feels like a true privilege to be able to support
these families in whatever way we can through this process
for them.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
It is such a privilege, And there's so many parts
to nursing that ask such a privilege. I can just
tell by talking to you that you're an exceptionally empathetic
kind person that has its own problems. How do you
look after yourself like there must be some stories or
(18:58):
conversations with people that really stand out for you. How
do you deep and look after yourself and not get
burnt out doing what you do?
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Yeah, it's an interesting one because I think I had
actually over COVID in a few years before, was working
in some nursing management roles which had burnt me out
in some pretty significant ways, and really then had gravitated
back to this role that I'm doing now because I
needed to have that truly fulfilling aspect of my role
(19:31):
and being able to support families. But I do acknowledge
that this is a pretty emotionally fatiguing job at times
when you are having end of life conversations, not quite daily,
but pretty frequently. I think for us as donor coordinators,
we're a pretty small, tight knit group, so we are
(19:54):
pretty good at reaching out to one another to just
debrief talk through some particularly tough cases that we've been
involved in. And I'm pretty lucky my best friend lives
a kay up the road for me, so there's often
a walk to just get some fresh air to just
have a chat and just take a step back from everything.
(20:15):
And it sounds a bit cliche, but it is, you know,
needing to refill that cup, so you know, whether it's
then just cooking a really nice meal for myself. So
I'm almost like physically nourishing myself to then try and
then emotionally kind of nourish myself as well. And I
think really to just be able to lean into those
(20:36):
really important friendships and relationships you have outside of work,
your family, your friends, and then also I think his
nurses just regular and you'll leave. I think that that
is just something that we are probably not good at
doing that. I know my friends who are nurses certainly
feel that at times you need to really savor lya
for something big and amazing. But it's really about how
(20:59):
can we incrementally take some leave to just take a breath,
have a bit of a reset, and then prevent that
significant burnout from happening. Because all of the people I
know who do this job, we agree that it's an
incredibly special job to have, but we need to recognize
when we are potentially feeling that burnout creeping in, and
then how we can sort of stop it from becoming
(21:21):
a full blown dramatic theme for us.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, look it's real Georgie. And the research is there
that doing what you do, like catching up with a
friend and going for a walk outside, that's really important.
The fresh air, it's grounding, it's quite significant. It's a
difference that makes And the other big research is having
something to look forward to, having a holiday to look
(21:44):
forward to, you know, and what do they say you
should be rebooking your next holiday before you've completed the
current holiday because it actually fills your cup, gives you
something to look forward to and it's like a goal.
I suppose that you're working towards. Do you look after
(22:04):
children in your specialty? Is that only adults?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
We sometimes will so even though I'm based at the Alfred,
if we're on call, we will service the whole Staates Victorious,
so that will encompass the Royal Children's Hospital and the
Monash Children's as well. There are two main pediatric centers
here in Melbourne, so there are times we will care
(22:27):
for pediatric patients and that's pretty form just. I think
it always really sort of hits you in the emotions,
probably a little bit harder than other cases at times,
and then it then probably becomes a bit of a
debrief or we'll do case reviews together to just be
able to talk through those cases in particular. And we
(22:50):
have an amazing pediatric nurse specialist who really tries to
care for us and as well as you know, the
patients and the families within her unit as well. And
that's like a really great resource to have in having
our colleague mail pediatric specialistners because coming from the adult field,
little people is something that is probably scary for me.
(23:13):
When I see them in a hospital bed, particularly one
who's gone through end of life care, I think it
becomes very emotional. And then how we care for those
parents any other sort of family members as well within
that space is emotionally pretty taxing when you.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Go in and chat with a family. And this is
going to seem like a really dumb question, because I'm
thinking of myself, here, are you allowed to cry?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I think so. I don't actually think I've cried in
a meeting with a family. I've certainly had a few
teeries over the years when we've been going for a
donation operation with some families that have really struck a
chord with me in a bit of a different way,
or I'll have a bit of a cry on the
way home. But I do try, and I think hold
it together because I know that even though it's incredibly
(24:00):
sad what's happening, it's not necessarily my grief, and it's
then how can I care for families to help them
through their grief. That it's probably my preference, probably not
too because I feel like I couldn't be the nurse
I need to be for them if I was getting
really emotional, But I certainly think it's something that's you know,
it's not necessarily frowned upon, but just for me and
how I provide care, it's something i'd probably try and
(24:23):
not do.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
It's funny when I did palliative care, very rarely did
I suppose when I was caring for them, I think
you do put a different hat on. But hearing stories
or when I interviewed Mary Lee, or when people are
talking about their journey and their raw grief, it's a
whole other ball game. For me. I just sit there
(24:46):
and just like tears roll down my face and I
do wonder sometimes how I would be in that role,
and I'm sure death I was gonna say, sure, a shit, No,
I couldn't do kids because I just couldn't.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, it's funny. I mean, for me, when I started
my career, you know, death and dying really scared me
as someone who was in their early twenties and started
nursing and probably hadn't emotionally matured to the point where
I could sort of see past my own discomfort in
some ways. But it is really confronting, and I think
(25:25):
even though I try and not cry at work, I
think I certainly have become a much more emotional person
outside of work, and it probably doesn't take much for
me to have a good cry these days, Like it
does hit you, and I think it gives you a
greater perspective on the spectrum of life and death and
everything in between. And I think, for me, certainly, how
(25:45):
much more thankful I need to be in sort of
embracing and being thankful for the little moments that I
can have with family and friends, because we just sort
of see the whole gamut in this role, whether you're young, old,
just what awfully tragic things can happen to people. I think.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
So it's very interesting that you so insightful and so
aware of the little moments. Do you think doing this
job has made you that person? Or were you always
that person and it's just enhanced your awareness of that need.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I think I probably had that tendency already, And I
think because this job is so unique but also in
some respect such a hard job. I don't think you
could do this job if you weren't already that way
incline to be a bit more empathetic and caring. But
I definitely think this job has certainly changed my perception
(26:47):
and view on life and just sort of the different
walks of life people come from and different things people
can go through throughout their life. And it's certainly, yeah,
I think shifted how I view things and yet embracing
the small things in life and just not sweating the
small stuff. I suppose it's probably a really big thing
for me.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Yeah, I'm assuming you have become a pretty non judgmental
person through this process, I think so.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
I think probably a not much makes me blush anymore
from hearing about, you know, different escapades people have gone on.
But I also think that nothing really that anyone does
you can really be in a position to judge them
for I think it's how you then care for someone
in that bed at that point in time and what
(27:39):
they need and what their family need, and aspects of
their history become somewhat irrelevant. And it's how we can
make this palliative process the most respectful and dignified thing
for them, because no one wants to die, particularly in
the hospital, I don't think, So how can we make
it less clinical? What nice? I suppose it's not nice
(28:00):
to be losing a love bum but what things can
we do to make it feel more personal? If it
playing music? Can we bring things in from home? We've
certainly had doctors sneaking cats and dogs and things like
that over the years that you know, no request is
kind of knocked back immediately, though some have been a
(28:21):
bit outrageous, but you know, ultimately it's what's going to
be important to that family and how we can then
try and help support them with that as well.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
So important, Georgie quickly, can you go through organs that
can be donated to other people?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Yeah, so one person you know, could potentially save up
to seven lives through organ donations. So there's things that
are or lungs could be donated to someone who is
really critically ill. The kidneys could help two people come
off of dialysis which they might need to attend three
times a week, so it can really, I think, significantly
(29:02):
impact their quality of life and allow them to do
things that they haven't because they've just been so constrained
by this regular sort of weekly dialysis requirement. Live a donation,
so potentially even in someone their liver could be donated
to two people, So not always, but it is something
that can occur. And then even pacreous could be donated
(29:25):
to help cure someone for diabetes, which is pretty significant.
And then very rarely do we see someone be able
to donate their stomach and intestines, which might only happen
once a year here in Victoria, but it could be
someone who's maybe never been able to eat a meal
in their life and they've been too fed, So it
can have huge, huge impacts for people who have been
(29:47):
unwell in that regard. So there's also tissue an eye
donation which can then help impact people's lives and be
quiet life altering as well. So someone could restore the
site of two people through eye donation, which is pretty powerful.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
So powerful. Is there one particular story that stays with you?
With one family.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, I think maybe not a donor family, but I
think it was just a patient who I cared for
that really opened my eyes to just the power of
what a difference a transplant can have in someone's life.
Where I was caring for a lady who was admitted
to ICU because she was awaiting along transplant and was
(30:35):
on some different infusions to try and help optimize her
long function, but was pretty bedbound, could really only speak
in sort of one word responses, and simple act of
toileting on a bedpan would almost mean we'd have to
hit the emergency bell because she would desaturate so significantly.
(30:55):
And I cared for a for few nights and night
gene and then had days off, and as you do,
the patient gets discharged and you don't see them again.
And then many many months later, I was walking back
into the ICU after taking a patient to the ward,
and I could have sworn I heard someone say my
name and then had to look around, and I was like, oh,
there's no one here I know, so I'll just keep walking.
(31:16):
And then I hear someone call my name again, and
I look and it's this lady sitting out of bed
in a chair with just some small little prongs of
oxygen in her nose, and she had told me that
she had a transplant two or three days previously, and
that she was doing really well and was hoping she'd
be able to go to the ward. And the fact
that she could then see one of her children get married,
(31:39):
which she just didn't even think was ever going to
be possible for her, is now going to be incredibly
possible for her. And that was something that made me think, oh,
my goodness, this is the most life changing thing ever
where we just couldn't even get this lady to almost
safely be able to use a bedpad because she was
so unwell. So then a few days after her transplant
(32:01):
to be sitting out of bed talking to me in
full sentences and I'd never really heard her voice before,
which was kind of mind blowing to me because she
was so out of breath. And then that made me
really think, wow, like families who can sent their loved
ones to organ donation are so incredible in what they
are doing for people that they will never meet, that
(32:22):
they will never really get to hear about all the
amazing things that they can do. And for me, that
was just a really small glimpse into that, and it
was just really made me want to be able to
work in this area and care for those families that
have made such an amazing decision for their loved one.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
It is life changing for so many people, isn't it. Georgie,
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat
with me today. But I appreciate you coming on having
a chat, and I just want to say, I'm sitting
here admiring your skin as a dermatology. I'm in awe
(33:01):
and I don't know what you're doing, but I don't
know it's the camera.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
I feel like it's bumping me up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Oh no, it looks amazing and I'm sitting here going, oh,
look at that glow.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Kay Beauty products the skin career in Bomb, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
I've actually got some of their blush on. Love it
so anyway, and fourteen dollars for the blush. You can't
go wrong, can you bargain?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Absolutely, thanks Georgie.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
This season. I am so excited to announce that the
podcast is being supported by Nutritia, which is a global
leader in medical nutrition. They understand the needs of nurses
in the nutrition Space and for over one hundred and
twenty five years have provided products to support child health.
Some of Nutritiona's pediatric brands include Neo Kate Junior for
(33:53):
children who have food allergies, and app to Grow for
those fussy eaters. And those of us who have children
know many kids who go through the phases of definite fussiness.
For more and resources, visit the nutritiona Pediatrics hub at
nutritia dot com dot au forward slash pediatrics. I just
want to say a huge thank you to Nutritia. Their
(34:15):
desire to support nurses is truly appreciated, and they are
allowing me to continue this podcast so that we can
all grow as nurses.
Appogia production.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hi everyone, thank you for tuning back into Tenantus for Nurses.
I suspec Woodbine here this season. I am so excited
to announce that the podcast is being supported by Nutritia,
which is a global leader in medical nutrition. They understand
the needs of nurses in the nutrition space and for
over one hundred and twenty five years have provided products
(00:31):
to support child health. Some of Nutrita's pediatric brands include
Neo Kate Junior for children who have food allergies and
app to Grow for those fussy eaters. And those of
us who have children know many kids who go through
the phases of definite fussiness. For more information and resources,
visit the nutritiona Pediatrics hub at nutritia dot com dot
(00:54):
au forward slash Pediatrics. I just want to say a
huge thank you to Nutritia. Their desire to support nurses
is truly appreciated, and they are allowing me to continue
this podcast so that we could all grow as nurses.
This season, we have some amazing speakers in the pediatric
space which I cannot wait to share with you all. Hi,
my name's Beck Woodbine and welcome to Tenderness for nurses.
(01:17):
I'm grateful for the person that I have the opportunity
to be.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So I hit it and parked it for Nellie four years.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
We always have free will, We always get to choose.
We are autonomous. Hi everyone, thank you for tuning in
too Tenderness for Nurses Again. Today we have a really
fantastic Part A and Part B podcast. Today I am
interviewing Georgia Callahan from Donate Life and she is the
(01:46):
donation Specialist Nursing Coordinator DAN in Victoria. And then we
are speaking with Justine Holloway, who is the acting Nurse
Services Manager for Donate Life Victoria. Thank you Georgie for
taking the time to chat with.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Me today, No worry, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So can you just give us a little bit of
background on you and your nursing career state.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, so I've been a nurse for about fourteen or
fifteen years now. I actually grew up in Adelaide where
I did all of my undergraduate study, and part of
that I really fell in love with critical care nursing.
So I first started working in a small ed and
from that I did a bit of postgrad where they
(02:31):
offered me the opportunity to go up to the intensive
care unit to just, I suppose further develop my critical
care skills and did about six weeks up there, and
during that time I felt quite nervous. There were lots
of beats that was really scary, and wasn't quite sure
if that was the place for me, and had always
thought that i'd probably stay back down in emergency. And
(02:54):
then in that sort of last week, it all kind
of clicked for me and I just really fell in
love with intensive care nursing, so I did a graduate
diploma in that. When decided I wanted to develop my
skills in a bigger ICU that had a few different
specialties that we didn't have in the same way in Adelaide,
which is how I ended up working at the outfit
(03:16):
in their intensive care unit, and I started there back
in twenty fifteen, and from that really just started at
the bedside, predominantly working with cardiac patients, as that was
a bit of a specialty in the unit I was
working in in Adelaide. As a result of that, started
working with some people waiting for their transplants and then
after their transplant operations as well, and that was an
(03:40):
incredibly powerful thing for me to see just how significantly
people's lives could change just through the power of being
a transplant recipient. Really, and then as I progressed through
the ICU, I sort of started doing a bit more
in charge and became an ANUM then actually ended up
working as an ANAM in the trauma ICU. So during
(04:01):
that stint, I really then got to see the other side.
So patients who were admitted under very sort of unexpected
and often traumatic circumstances after they'd been in accidents, and
throughout their journey of care, if we were unable to
get them back to a good level of health and
a meaningful recovery, then unfortunately they would be transitioning to
(04:22):
end of life care. And then from that being part
of those end of life discussions, and then potential patients
going for organ donation, just seeing sort of that full
spectrum of that donation and transplantation journey and then really
developing a passion for end of life care. And that's
(04:44):
how I sort of then transitioned into working in organ
donation as a result of that and being able to
learn how to support families through a bit of a
different process related to end of life care.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Was that a specialized education for you to go into
end of life care and into the orgation side of things,
or was that just something you segued into quite seamlessly.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, So there's no further sort of formalized education you
do in the specialization of I suppose end of life
care or organ donation in particular. It's a very much
segue into that field. And then from their getting about
a six month training program with Donate Life, and that
(05:32):
really teaches you the you know, ways in which to
support families and communicate in a very care and respectful
manner and providing them with the information they need to
be able to make a decision that's right, so they
loved one and their family. And then from that you
know all of the other different processes and things that
go into getting someone ready for an organ donation operation
(05:55):
as well.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So do you still do work in ICU or you
full time with Donate Life.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So I a clinicleness consultant in I FEW at the Alfred,
but my specialty is organ donations, So we work for
semi clinically, I think is probably the easiest way to
describe it. So we'll still look at how we can
support our I few nursing and medical colleagues through the
end of life care processes. However, we are sort of
(06:25):
the designated nurses who will complete the work up and
information and data collection and supporting families through that organ
donation process.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Can you explain the process to us, because it seems
like there are quite a few steps.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
It is quite a big process. So, for example, when
I came on today, we will check our database to
see if we've received any referrals for any people who
might be going through end of life care. All patients
who are going through end of life care and an
ED and ICU should get referred to donate life for
consideration of organ and tissue donation. If we don't have
(07:05):
anyone sitting on our database, will attend morning meetings in
the ICU to see if there's any people who will
potentially be gong for end of life care. If we
do have referrals, will then be liaising closely with the
ic bedside nurses, the medical teams and any allied health
who are relevant to the patient's care just to see
(07:25):
where really the patients in regards to their stability and
then also more importantly, where the family's at in regards
to the prognosis of their loved one. We would never
get involved in any conversations around organ donation unless a
family were accepting a end of life care, just because
we know that that would be quite damaging and traumatic
(07:47):
to families to be raising this as an option when
they're not accepting of that transition of that active care
into more of one of comfort and dignity through palliative
sort of pathways. So if a family were ready to
sort of hear about the next steps in their love
one's care, we would then go into a family meeting
(08:09):
with the medical team, the bedside nurse. Sometimes we'll have
social work, sometimes we'll have interpreters if needed, and we
will meet with a patient's family and from that we
will gain a confirmation that they're understanding of transitioning to
end of life care. And then from that, when they're ready,
I will be introduced as a nurse with a predominantly
(08:34):
really to talk families through what those next steps will be,
and from that we really try and find out what's
going to be important to that patient and their family,
So if they have any spiritual or religious belief, if
there's any other important family members or friends who need
to come and see the patient in the ICU, and
once we've ascertained that we're meeting all of the other
(08:56):
needs of not only the patient but their family, I
will then provide them with some information about organ donation
and then from that there any questions that families may
have to help them make that decision, and part of
my role as well that I will check the Australian
Organ Donor Register as well, and if someone was registered,
(09:16):
we would share that information with the family. Conversely, even
if they had registered their decline for donation, we would
be quite transparent and open with families through that. But essentially,
if a family is open to exploring organ donation for
their loved one, we would then sit down with them
and in more detail provide them with information about what
the organ donation process looks like, the organs we think
(09:39):
they loved one may potentially be able to donate, and
then from that we do really detailed made a cool
questionnaire about their medical and social and lifestyle history, and
then we really start to collate a lot of information
about their loved ones health. We'll do some routine bloods
that screen for viral illness and any things like hepatitis, HIV,
(10:00):
anything that could be transmissible to a recipient. If we
discover anything that's an area of concern, we'll liaise with
medical specialists just to ensure that donation and transplantation is
safe to proceed, and then from that we'll start talking
to transplant units to i suppose find the best match
recipients for this potential donor. Then from that we will
(10:24):
liaise with the family very closely, and then we would
arrange a time essentially for the patient to go for
their donation operation, and then from that we would be
with the patient in that operation as well, still caring
for the patient and then ensuring all due processes followed
and that final check sort of in the donation safe
(10:45):
and transplantation safe to proceed, and then we share that
information and anatomy and things like that with the transplant units,
and then we make sure that those life changing organs
are able to get to the transplant centers as soon
as possible, just to ensure the best possible outcomes for
the recipients at the other end. And then we do
(11:06):
follow up with the family down the track and things
like that. But in a nutshell, that's probably a very
a bruised version of what we do when we involved
in someone going for organ donation.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Who actually initiates a conversation with the families.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Generally that will be us. So what I do as
a donation specialist, we will provide family generally about the
fact that their loved one is in intensive care on
breathing machines, ventilators and are being supported that they may
be in the rare position to help others through organ donation.
(11:42):
And then from that it's really how we can then
in a supportive and caring way, provide information to that
patient's family so they're able to make an enduring decision
for their loved one.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
On the whole. What is the response when you do
go into a meeting like this.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I think more often than not, is we wouldn't know
what our loved one would want. You know, we never
spoke about. And I think that's a really normal reaction
for families to have. I think a lot of the
time when people get admitted to the intensive care unit,
it's under quite unexpected and sometimes traumatic circumstances, and when
(12:21):
your otherwives fit and well, it's just not something you
would ever see happening to you or your loved ones.
So it's then how we can acknowledge and normalize that
for families that it is okay not to know, but
it's about then how we can provide information to them
to help try and have an informed decision and enduring
(12:43):
decisions for that family.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
In Victoria, I mean astray wide, there's the option for
people to put their name down to be an organ donor.
How uncommon is it that people do that?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, it's pretty uncommon actual effect. So we know that
the majority of Australians do support all donation, and we
know that the national average is about thirty six percent
of people have actually taken that step to register their
wish on the Australian organ don't register and even in
Victoria that's even lower than the national stent. So I
(13:20):
think we're seeing at about twenty five or twenty three
percent actually. So we know that when I've spoken with
families who have had a loved one who has registered
their wishes, you can just see a weight spin lifted
from their shoulders. That it then the burden of trying
to make quite a big decision on behalf of their
loved one. It really becomes more empowering to families. And
(13:43):
then it's how can we help our loved ones fulfill
that wish? And it's just a very different conversation where
I think families feel quite proud that their loved one
has taken the time and it's then for them to
be able to help fulfill that for them as part
of their end of life care.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yeah, I think it's very important. I've certainly put my
wishes down and we've discussed it previously on the podcast
for people to do that, because we actually have had
a couple of recipients that organ donation has saved their
life on the podcast and they are truly truly grateful.
So I actually, after speaking with one of them, went
(14:23):
home and checked that it was current and that I
definitely had done it. So those of you who are
listening and haven't checked, how would they checked Georgie to
make sure that they're on the register.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yeah, I think the easiest way is to go to
the Donate Life website and then from there you're able
to see if you're registered and if you're not, it
also sends you to a link where you're able to
then sign up on the register and all you need
is your Medicare card, So it is quite easy to do,
and yeah, you can even do it through the Medicare app,
and yeah the donate Life website which is Donatelife dot
(15:00):
dot au. But then I would also then encourage people
to talk to your families about the fact that, hey,
this is what I've done today, because it is surprising
that people, I suppose, don't assume that your family know
what you want. Speaking from personal experience as a nurse,
when I had signed up many years ago on the register,
(15:23):
I remember telling my parents at dinner because I was
still living at home, and my mum, who was also
a nurse, was really surprised that I had made that
decision in my early twenties, and then just seeing how
her perception had then shifted to be like, oh, wow, okay,
I understand why you would do that. So even from
(15:45):
a family of healthcare professionals, it was still a bit
of a shock to my family. So I think, you know,
never assume, and it is a bit of an awkward
conversation to have sometimes because it sometimes does feel like
it's coming out of left field, and we honestly hope
your family never has to make those decisions, but it's
just that piece of mind knowing that if Heaven forbid,
(16:07):
the worst thing were to happen, that your family would
know what your wishes were.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Absolutely. We had Mary Lee Miller spoke on our podcast
and her son Cole was killed with a coward's punch
here in the valley and she tells the story, and
she told it on the podcast how she was driving
down from the coast and she knew he had passed.
(16:32):
She just had this feeling, and she was a nicer
U nurse and she just knew that they had to
donate his organs and they did, and it does give
them comfort to know that he's living on in other
people and has saved other people. And you wouldn't wish
(16:53):
that on any family, on anyone ever, never, But how
brave was that family and she he speaks so highly
of the whole process of the organ donation and how
respectful everyone was here at the hospital and in Brisbane,
(17:15):
and that he lives on and I do believe it's
a source of comfort for.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Her And that's something that we do here from families.
One of our colleagues her role is purely to support
families who have had a loved one become an organ donor,
and we hear quite regularly that obviously it doesn't take
away the awful grief that they feel for the loss
of their loved one, often in very tragic circumstances, but
(17:42):
a lot of families feel proud in the fact that
they know that their loved one has been able to
help other people and help prevent other families from, I suppose,
feeling what they're feeling and losing a loved one through
the life changing power of organ transplantations. So I think
I agree with you, Beckett. You never wish this upon anyone,
(18:04):
and you really don't realish having these conversations, But to
seeing the power for families to be able to make
that decision for their loved one is pretty incredible. And
how selfless they are in wanting to help others in
the midst of their own very real, very raw grief
is something that I think is just such a uniquely
(18:27):
special part of the job that I do on It
feels like a true privilege to be able to support
these families in whatever way we can through this process
for them.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
It is such a privilege, And there's so many parts
to nursing that ask such a privilege. I can just
tell by talking to you that you're an exceptionally empathetic
kind person that has its own problems. How do you
look after yourself like there must be some stories or
(18:58):
conversations with people that really stand out for you. How
do you deep and look after yourself and not get
burnt out doing what you do?
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Yeah, it's an interesting one because I think I had
actually over COVID in a few years before, was working
in some nursing management roles which had burnt me out
in some pretty significant ways, and really then had gravitated
back to this role that I'm doing now because I
needed to have that truly fulfilling aspect of my role
(19:31):
and being able to support families. But I do acknowledge
that this is a pretty emotionally fatiguing job at times
when you are having end of life conversations, not quite daily,
but pretty frequently. I think for us as donor coordinators,
we're a pretty small, tight knit group, so we are
(19:54):
pretty good at reaching out to one another to just
debrief talk through some particularly tough cases that we've been
involved in. And I'm pretty lucky my best friend lives
a kay up the road for me, so there's often
a walk to just get some fresh air to just
have a chat and just take a step back from everything.
(20:15):
And it sounds a bit cliche, but it is, you know,
needing to refill that cup, so you know, whether it's
then just cooking a really nice meal for myself. So
I'm almost like physically nourishing myself to then try and
then emotionally kind of nourish myself as well. And I
think really to just be able to lean into those
(20:36):
really important friendships and relationships you have outside of work,
your family, your friends, and then also I think his
nurses just regular and you'll leave. I think that that
is just something that we are probably not good at
doing that. I know my friends who are nurses certainly
feel that at times you need to really savor lya
for something big and amazing. But it's really about how
(20:59):
can we incrementally take some leave to just take a breath,
have a bit of a reset, and then prevent that
significant burnout from happening. Because all of the people I
know who do this job, we agree that it's an
incredibly special job to have, but we need to recognize
when we are potentially feeling that burnout creeping in, and
then how we can sort of stop it from becoming
(21:21):
a full blown dramatic theme for us.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, look it's real Georgie. And the research is there
that doing what you do, like catching up with a
friend and going for a walk outside, that's really important.
The fresh air, it's grounding, it's quite significant. It's a
difference that makes And the other big research is having
something to look forward to, having a holiday to look
(21:44):
forward to, you know, and what do they say you
should be rebooking your next holiday before you've completed the
current holiday because it actually fills your cup, gives you
something to look forward to and it's like a goal.
I suppose that you're working towards. Do you look after
(22:04):
children in your specialty? Is that only adults?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
We sometimes will so even though I'm based at the Alfred,
if we're on call, we will service the whole Staates Victorious,
so that will encompass the Royal Children's Hospital and the
Monash Children's as well. There are two main pediatric centers
here in Melbourne, so there are times we will care
(22:27):
for pediatric patients and that's pretty form just. I think
it always really sort of hits you in the emotions,
probably a little bit harder than other cases at times,
and then it then probably becomes a bit of a
debrief or we'll do case reviews together to just be
able to talk through those cases in particular. And we
(22:50):
have an amazing pediatric nurse specialist who really tries to
care for us and as well as you know, the
patients and the families within her unit as well. And
that's like a really great resource to have in having
our colleague mail pediatric specialistners because coming from the adult field,
little people is something that is probably scary for me.
(23:13):
When I see them in a hospital bed, particularly one
who's gone through end of life care, I think it
becomes very emotional. And then how we care for those
parents any other sort of family members as well within
that space is emotionally pretty taxing when you.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Go in and chat with a family. And this is
going to seem like a really dumb question, because I'm
thinking of myself, here, are you allowed to cry?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I think so. I don't actually think I've cried in
a meeting with a family. I've certainly had a few
teeries over the years when we've been going for a
donation operation with some families that have really struck a
chord with me in a bit of a different way,
or I'll have a bit of a cry on the
way home. But I do try, and I think hold
it together because I know that even though it's incredibly
(24:00):
sad what's happening, it's not necessarily my grief, and it's
then how can I care for families to help them
through their grief. That it's probably my preference, probably not
too because I feel like I couldn't be the nurse
I need to be for them if I was getting
really emotional, But I certainly think it's something that's you know,
it's not necessarily frowned upon, but just for me and
how I provide care, it's something i'd probably try and
(24:23):
not do.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
It's funny when I did palliative care, very rarely did
I suppose when I was caring for them, I think
you do put a different hat on. But hearing stories
or when I interviewed Mary Lee, or when people are
talking about their journey and their raw grief, it's a
whole other ball game. For me. I just sit there
(24:46):
and just like tears roll down my face and I
do wonder sometimes how I would be in that role,
and I'm sure death I was gonna say, sure, a shit, No,
I couldn't do kids because I just couldn't.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, it's funny. I mean, for me, when I started
my career, you know, death and dying really scared me
as someone who was in their early twenties and started
nursing and probably hadn't emotionally matured to the point where
I could sort of see past my own discomfort in
some ways. But it is really confronting, and I think
(25:25):
even though I try and not cry at work, I
think I certainly have become a much more emotional person
outside of work, and it probably doesn't take much for
me to have a good cry these days, Like it
does hit you, and I think it gives you a
greater perspective on the spectrum of life and death and
everything in between. And I think, for me, certainly, how
(25:45):
much more thankful I need to be in sort of
embracing and being thankful for the little moments that I
can have with family and friends, because we just sort
of see the whole gamut in this role, whether you're young, old,
just what awfully tragic things can happen to people. I think.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
So it's very interesting that you so insightful and so
aware of the little moments. Do you think doing this
job has made you that person? Or were you always
that person and it's just enhanced your awareness of that need.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I think I probably had that tendency already, And I
think because this job is so unique but also in
some respect such a hard job. I don't think you
could do this job if you weren't already that way
incline to be a bit more empathetic and caring. But
I definitely think this job has certainly changed my perception
(26:47):
and view on life and just sort of the different
walks of life people come from and different things people
can go through throughout their life. And it's certainly, yeah,
I think shifted how I view things and yet embracing
the small things in life and just not sweating the
small stuff. I suppose it's probably a really big thing
for me.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Yeah, I'm assuming you have become a pretty non judgmental
person through this process, I think so.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
I think probably a not much makes me blush anymore
from hearing about, you know, different escapades people have gone on.
But I also think that nothing really that anyone does
you can really be in a position to judge them
for I think it's how you then care for someone
in that bed at that point in time and what
(27:39):
they need and what their family need, and aspects of
their history become somewhat irrelevant. And it's how we can
make this palliative process the most respectful and dignified thing
for them, because no one wants to die, particularly in
the hospital, I don't think, So how can we make
it less clinical? What nice? I suppose it's not nice
(28:00):
to be losing a love bum but what things can
we do to make it feel more personal? If it
playing music? Can we bring things in from home? We've
certainly had doctors sneaking cats and dogs and things like
that over the years that you know, no request is
kind of knocked back immediately, though some have been a
(28:21):
bit outrageous, but you know, ultimately it's what's going to
be important to that family and how we can then
try and help support them with that as well.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
So important, Georgie quickly, can you go through organs that
can be donated to other people?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Yeah, so one person you know, could potentially save up
to seven lives through organ donations. So there's things that
are or lungs could be donated to someone who is
really critically ill. The kidneys could help two people come
off of dialysis which they might need to attend three
times a week, so it can really, I think, significantly
(29:02):
impact their quality of life and allow them to do
things that they haven't because they've just been so constrained
by this regular sort of weekly dialysis requirement. Live a donation,
so potentially even in someone their liver could be donated
to two people, So not always, but it is something
that can occur. And then even pacreous could be donated
(29:25):
to help cure someone for diabetes, which is pretty significant.
And then very rarely do we see someone be able
to donate their stomach and intestines, which might only happen
once a year here in Victoria, but it could be
someone who's maybe never been able to eat a meal
in their life and they've been too fed, So it
can have huge, huge impacts for people who have been
(29:47):
unwell in that regard. So there's also tissue an eye
donation which can then help impact people's lives and be
quiet life altering as well. So someone could restore the
site of two people through eye donation, which is pretty powerful.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
So powerful. Is there one particular story that stays with you?
With one family.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, I think maybe not a donor family, but I
think it was just a patient who I cared for
that really opened my eyes to just the power of
what a difference a transplant can have in someone's life.
Where I was caring for a lady who was admitted
to ICU because she was awaiting along transplant and was
(30:35):
on some different infusions to try and help optimize her
long function, but was pretty bedbound, could really only speak
in sort of one word responses, and simple act of
toileting on a bedpan would almost mean we'd have to
hit the emergency bell because she would desaturate so significantly.
(30:55):
And I cared for a for few nights and night
gene and then had days off, and as you do,
the patient gets discharged and you don't see them again.
And then many many months later, I was walking back
into the ICU after taking a patient to the ward,
and I could have sworn I heard someone say my
name and then had to look around, and I was like, oh,
there's no one here I know, so I'll just keep walking.
(31:16):
And then I hear someone call my name again, and
I look and it's this lady sitting out of bed
in a chair with just some small little prongs of
oxygen in her nose, and she had told me that
she had a transplant two or three days previously, and
that she was doing really well and was hoping she'd
be able to go to the ward. And the fact
that she could then see one of her children get married,
(31:39):
which she just didn't even think was ever going to
be possible for her, is now going to be incredibly
possible for her. And that was something that made me think, oh,
my goodness, this is the most life changing thing ever
where we just couldn't even get this lady to almost
safely be able to use a bedpad because she was
so unwell. So then a few days after her transplant
(32:01):
to be sitting out of bed talking to me in
full sentences and I'd never really heard her voice before,
which was kind of mind blowing to me because she
was so out of breath. And then that made me
really think, wow, like families who can sent their loved
ones to organ donation are so incredible in what they
are doing for people that they will never meet, that
(32:22):
they will never really get to hear about all the
amazing things that they can do. And for me, that
was just a really small glimpse into that, and it
was just really made me want to be able to
work in this area and care for those families that
have made such an amazing decision for their loved one.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
It is life changing for so many people, isn't it. Georgie,
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat
with me today. But I appreciate you coming on having
a chat, and I just want to say, I'm sitting
here admiring your skin as a dermatology. I'm in awe
(33:01):
and I don't know what you're doing, but I don't
know it's the camera.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
I feel like it's bumping me up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Oh no, it looks amazing and I'm sitting here going, oh,
look at that glow.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Kay Beauty products the skin career in Bomb, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
I've actually got some of their blush on. Love it
so anyway, and fourteen dollars for the blush. You can't
go wrong, can you bargain?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Absolutely, thanks Georgie.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
This season. I am so excited to announce that the
podcast is being supported by Nutritia, which is a global
leader in medical nutrition. They understand the needs of nurses
in the nutrition Space and for over one hundred and
twenty five years have provided products to support child health.
Some of Nutritiona's pediatric brands include Neo Kate Junior for
(33:53):
children who have food allergies, and app to Grow for
those fussy eaters. And those of us who have children
know many kids who go through the phases of definite fussiness.
For more and resources, visit the nutritiona Pediatrics hub at
nutritia dot com dot au forward slash pediatrics. I just
want to say a huge thank you to Nutritia. Their
(34:15):
desire to support nurses is truly appreciated, and they are
allowing me to continue this podcast so that we can
all grow as nurses.
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