The conversation can sometimes be a difficult one to have with loved ones, but it's one that can potentially save one, or many lives.
Organ donation is the focus of a health campaign that aims to encourage Australians to consider giving the gift of life.
DonateLife Week (July 24 - August 4) is the national awareness week for organ and tissue donation.
This year, NSW residents are asked to register on the Australian Organ Donor Register and discuss their decision with their family, if they haven't already done so.
Joining the Australian Organ Donor Register gives hope to the 1400 Australians and their families that are waiting for a life-saving or life-changing organ or tissue transplant.
Margaret Kazzi, of Brighton-Le-Sands, is only 30 years of age, and is on the wait list for a kidney. She receives dialysis treatment at home while she waits for a donor match.
She has been waiting for two years, but this isn't the first time she has been on the list.
"When I was a baby I started having problems, and was on dialysis at age 11," she said. "On my 14th birthday my mum got the call and that donation lasted me 15 years. The same problem has returned - a cyst in the kidney.
"Dialysis is my life support machine but there are days I don't want to be on it. By becoming a donor, you and start someone's new life."
In the past 10 years, more than 11,000 Australians have had their lives saved or transformed as a result of an organ transplant. This number continues to grow as a result of the generosity of deceased donors and their families.
In Australia, families will always be asked to consent to donation. When a person is registered, 90 per cent of families honour the wishes of their loved ones.
"Organ and tissue donation gives people needing a transplant a second chance at life", state medical director for the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service, Elena Cavazzoni, said.
"Registration is so important because it leaves families in no doubt of their loved one's wish to be an organ and tissue donor.
"Registering is quick and easy. It takes less than a minute.
"Even if you are already registered, DonateLife Week is the perfect opportunity to reach out to others, whether it be friends, family or colleagues and encourage them to join the Australian Organ Donor Register too."
To join the Australian Organ Donor Register or for more information visit here.
