By DAVID SCHOUT
SPRINGVALE resident Twanny Farrugia describes himself as the “healthiest sick person you’ll meet”.
He has walked, run, danced and cycled with a donated kidney for more than 40 years, making him one of Australia’s longest-surviving transplant recipients.
And given the typical patient will live 10 to 15 years after a transplant, he’s doing pretty well. “Since 1971 I’ve hardly been prescribed new medicine. My doctor and I think if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” Mr Farrugia says.
After retiring last year, the 58 year old is now on a mission to tell people of the importance of organ and tissue donation and how it can change lives. As a free public speaker for DonateLife Victoria, he wants to get the message out there.
“I guess it’s my small way of putting back into the community,” he said. “Australia has one of the world’s highest successful transplant rates, but one of the lowest donor rates. The main reason is fear — people have a lack of understanding so we need to educate them to alleviate this fear.”
While 79 per cent of Australians are willing to become organ donors, consent rate from families drops below 60 per cent at the time of death.
“People get angry and say ‘my loved one isn’t even cold yet, and you want to take his organs out of him?’ “I think most people are interested in donating after they die, but some are scared and others don’t really know much about it. When people fill out the donor form, that gives me a lot of pleasure.”
Mr Farrugia’s CV is quite extensive and despite being legally blind he has run his own business and even driven race cars. “I believe the skills I have acquired over the years equips me to speak with all types of groups.”
Any group, social, sporting or otherwise is welcome to call Twanny Farrugia on 0412 107 734 to organise a session.
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