Aussie households are being asked to leave a light on at 6pm on Tuesday 18 May in support of organ and tissue donation. Known as Donor Heroes Night, the event is designed to commemorate and celebrate the lives of about 10,000 Australian organ and tissue donors who have given the ultimate gift.

The event is organised by Graham Harrison, whose 10-year-old son Ben became an organ donor on 18 May 1993. “Ben was our youngest child, and at the age of 10 he underwent surgery for a back deformity that he was born with. Unfortunately, there were complications during surgery and Ben was without blood to his brain for 12 minutes, resulting in brain death,” said Mr Harrison.

“My wife Elayne and I were aware of organ donation. We asked the doctors if we could donate Ben’s organs to save other parents from going through the same grief that we were suffering. Ben’s heart and lungs went to a 12-year-old girl and his kidneys went to a 50-year-old man” he added.

As part of the Donor Heroes Night event, people from around Australia are asked to take a photo of their porch light and upload it with a comment to their social media accounts, tagging @DonorFamiliesAustralia.

In 2020, almost 50,000 participants took part, and this year, Graham and his team are aiming to add an extra zero on that figure.

For further information, go to https://www.donorfamiliesaustralia.org/donor-heroes-night