The Australian Transplant Games are over until 2008. Rose's photo made it to a couple of newspapers this week: a Geelong Times (article entitled "Plenty of heart on the track"), and a Herald Sun (article entitled "New shot at life").

My incredibly generous cousin and her husband have been hosting us, on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, allowing us to easily attend the Games. We're so grateful for their love and for their personal support. And on a broader level, they are strong supporters of organ donation, with a much loved family member six years ago having donated all of her organs, changing forever the lives of eight recipients.

I have mentioned baby Rani. She died this month, before she could receive a liver transplant that she desperately needed. Please think of her bereaved family, and others like them who will lose a family member this year because of the shortage of organ donors.

Most importantly, if you do support organ donation, please clearly communicate your wishes to your family, to spare them the anguish of wondering what you would have wanted. Many of those reading this blog will have already taken the crucial extra step to talk with family, apart from signing up on the Australian Organ Donor Registry. But there's no harm in my mentioning it again.