FROM unimaginable tragedies, miracles can happen.
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That’s the message Jon and Michelle Seccull want to share with the world.
On October 4, 2011, their son Ethan, then aged three, died after being clipped by a Ballarat-bound passenger train near his family’s home in Wallace.
In the midst of their grief, at the bedside of their critically injured son, the parents made the courageous decision to donate Ethan’s organs.
“We never wanted another family to go through what we were going through,” Mr Secull said.
“We couldn't get our miracle but through Ethan we could give others theirs.”
Their decision changed the fate of three people, who were given a second chance at life.
“Ethan was incredibly unselfish ... he shared everything he had,” Mr Seccull said. “We know in our hearts, if he was old enough to understand and tell us, it would have been what he wanted.”
Since Ethan’s death more than three years ago, the family have started a foundation in his honour and traveled Australia spreading his story.
Next month marks DonateLife Week (August 2 to 9) a week promoting organ and tissue donation in Australia.
The theme for this year’s DonateLife Week is “Have the chat that saves lives.” It urges Australians to register their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register and to share the decision with loved ones.
Mr Seccull said conversations about organ donation saved lives.
“We’re not special or unique. We have our own story to tell, but there have been plenty before us faced with that decision,” Mr Secull said. “There will also be plenty after us. But it would lessen the decision if your loved ones knew it was what you wanted.”
Reflecting on the years since Ethan’s death, Mr Seccull said emotions were raw but the family found solace in knowing his legacy lived on in the lives he saved.
“The key message we want to get out there is “Would you accept if it was donated to you?” Mr Seccull said. “If you would accept it for yourself or somebody you love, then would you want to do the same for somebody else?”
For more information visit donatelife.gov.au
