Our next guest blog this week is from a friend who has not only successfully raised funds supporting work with addiction and mental health, but also works hard to chip away at the associated taboos and silences…
When I was asked to write something for Organ Donation Week, I wondered at first how I could connect it with the work I have previously done around addiction and mental health.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised just how close the connection is.
At the heart of both are people.
People with stories, real struggles and hardships, hopes and, sometimes, a need for a second chance.
Whilst fundraising for addiction and mental health, I began to understand the importance of looking beyond the label. It is all too easy to see someone struggling against either a mental illness or an addition and to forget the person behind it.
For me, this was very close to home and each step of the way I was thinking of those closest to me. My goal was to help start a conversation with the hope of breaking the stigma.
In life every person has a story, and their circumstances do not define their worth.
I believe organ donation encourages us to look beyond the medical procedure and see the person too.
For someone receiving an organ, it can mean far more than an operation. It can mean time to recover, to spend with loved ones, to make plans and to experience life again and moments that their illness may have taken away.
It can also mean hope.
But receiving a transplant can also bring emotional challenges. There can be anxiety, uncertainty and fear about the future. A second chance does not mean that someone suddenly stops struggling emotionally.
That is why I think mental health deserves to be part of the conversation around organ donation.
We should talk not only about saving lives, but about supporting people afterwards recognising the emotional journey alongside the physical one.
This is something I have learned through my work around addiction too. Recovery is rarely simply about getting through something. It is about rebuilding, finding hope and believing that the future can be different.
Perhaps that is the strongest connection between these subjects.
A second chance is not simply about surviving. It is about having the opportunity to live.
Organ Donation Week gives us the opportunity to think about the incredible difference one person can make to another.
It reminds us to challenge stigma, to talk openly about mental health, and to see the person rather than the diagnosis, illness or label.
Ultimately, organ donation is about people helping people.
And perhaps there is no greater expression of hope than giving someone the possibility of tomorrow.
If I can leave a lasting message it is to love those around you while you can, and remember to show yourself that same kindness.
Life loudly donate proudly 💜
Orlágh Cecil
