Zgoda to dar życia. Tak, chcę być dawcą. Wrocław’s social campaign.
Wrocław launched social campaign under the banner of “Zgoda to dar życia. Tak, chcę być dawcą” (eng. “APPROVAL IS THE GIFT OF LIFE”), which aims to increase awareness among residents about the meaning of approval to transplant. The city will encourage expression of conscious approval, which could help save lives of even 7 people after death. Below this article, there is a Wrocław’s Donor Card to download, which is able to print out and put there your data.
– Life is the gift of life for a human, which we know not from today. The conscious approval, which contributes to save or prolong the other person’s life, is a double gift. Priceless. That’s why I’m thrilled that we are launching such a significant social campaign “Zgoda to dar życia. Tak, chcę być dawcą” (eng. “Approval is the gift of life. YES, I want to be a donor”). We will be encouraging, educating and persuading that even after our death, we are able to save someone else’s life. In these terms, the city will always be a YES. Wrocław will be actively supporting projects of this type – Jacek Sutryk, President of Wrocław, encourages to get to know and participate in the campaign.
The face of the campaign is Szymon Konieczny, student of Wrocław, which has been living with a transplanted heart for 4 years. He was born with a rare defect– lack of left intraventricular. For 16 years, his life was a constant challenge. He couldn’t run, then walk, after all every day was a struggle for life. In 2019 in Zabrze, Szymon was given a new heart, which gave him a chance for normal, complete life. Szymon is grateful to the donor for the miraculous gift and wants to share his story to inspire others.
– There hasn’t been a day where I didn’t think about the person who gave me life. The only thing I can do is tell my story. Inspire others to express conscious approval. So other patients waiting on a transplant have a similar Chance – emphasizes Szymon Konieczny.
Every year in Poland there are 2 000 people, including children, anticipating the transplant on a National Waiting List (pl. Krajowa lista oczekujących). Unfortunately, not everyone will make it to receive organ but family opinion is crucial for transplantologists. That is why conscious expression of approval, conversation with the closest and education is significant.
– For me donating organs is the greatest act of heroism. What is the point of death? For me the only purpose which we are able to give death is to save other people. For me the only purpose is to save lives. Repeatedly, information that heart beats again in another human, kidneys produce urine and eyes see the sky once more is a huge uplift for the closest family of the donor in experiencing mourning. I have already heard “the best message over the last few days”. – explains Mateusz Rakowski, coordinator of Transplantation at the University Clinical Hospital of Jan Mikulicz-Radecki in Wrocław.
In terms of education activities, classes for secondary school student will be conducted by Agnieszka Nowak, Szymon’s mother which has died suddenly and his organs saved 6 people. Agnieszka Nowak, together with coordinator of half-transplant, will be sharing her experience to sensitize teenagers for salience of approval for transplant and to encourage them to have open conversations about this.
– In the previous year, a huge adversity happened – Szymon suddenly died. It was a will of the whole family. We knew the organs don’t go to heaven so it’s worth to save someone’s life and in my son’s case, it turned out to be up to 6 people – says Agnieszka Nowak.
First class took place in New Horizons Cinema (Kino Nowe Horyzonty) with students of the Secondary School no. 3 (Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr III im. Adama Mickiewicza we Wrocławiu). The meeting as a matter of the campaign of two mothers – Marta Konieczna, mother of Szymon who lives with a transplanted heart and Agnieszka Nowak, mother of Szymon who died a year ago showed how a single decision could impact certain life.
The partner of “Zgoda to dar życia. Tak, chcę być dawcą” is the University Clinical Hospital, the most dynamic developing transplant centre in our country. Already a second year in a row at the University Clinical Hospital where the biggest amount of heart transplants for adults in Poland. Since 2021, in unusually short period of time, transplanted 130 hearts in a hospital. Significantly, only in 2023 there were 46 conducted procedures. Heart transplants aren’t everything. Specialists of the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław accomplished 63 kidney transplants, including up to 8 from alive donors, as well as a liver transplant.
The University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław in 2023 not only accomplished dozens of transplants but as a hospital which actively reports donors, supported patients from other centres giving a chance of a new life to dozens of people – everything due to an increase of conscious donations , social campaigns as well as often titanic work of anaesthetists.
If you would like to sign declaration of will, download donor card and fill it with your data:
Translated by Wiktoria Dybek (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
