Organ donation advocate Patricia Scheetz of Bangor has received global recognition for her charity work, being named as a finalist for a global award.
Ms Scheetz, founder of The Sweetest Gift, a patisserie business that supports organ donor recipients, represented Sutherland Shire in the US in 2022 as part of the Lyfebulb-Veloxis Innovation Challenge.
As one of only three charities nominated for the award, she pitched to a pharmaceutical company in North Carolina, about the work she does in the community.
Ms Scheetz received a kidney and pancreas transplant in 2011 after battling with type 1 diabetes since birth.
The pastry chef discovered her passion for baking while recovering from surgery, and launched a business to help others awaiting transplants.
It has been a challenging couple of years, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting community reach, she said.
"We've had to take a step back with what we do because the people we support are the ones who are the most vulnerable to COVID-19," she said.
"In one way we were already ahead of the game in knowing we had to isolate when sick - we were wearing face masks before it was cool.
"Mental health became a big thing among the transplant community. But we were still able to deliver birthday cakes to people in isolation."
The NSW Government is ramping up its push to bolster organ donation rates, with the state sitting at about 41 per cent. Residents are being urged to decide to give the gift of life, with a campaign encouraging people to register to be an organ donor via the Service NSW app.
"It's great the government is taking action because we drag in some regards compared to the rest of the country in organ donation," Ms Scheetz said.
"The app is a great place to have registration status for organ donation. Hopefully it will mean a better system and better outcomes for people on the waiting list.
"It's about having that important conversation with your loved ones. It's not about trying to force people. A lot of people still think that their organ donation details or decision to donate is on their licence. Your family will always get asked.
"I wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for the decision made that was a made time for someone's family to donate organs. I was that lucky recipient to get a beautiful gift."
The aim is to achieve 75 per cent family consent rate within five year. A total of 1888 Australians are waiting for a life-saving transplant.
"There is a strong correlation between consent and registration. If a person is registered to be a donor, in nine out of 10 cases families will support that decision. This drops to four out of 10 when there is no knowledge of their wishes," Transplant Australia Chief Executive Officer Chris Thomas said.
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