On the living room wall of his home in Ħamrun, Alfred Debattista keeps a photo of the man whose heart has kept him alive for the past 12 years, after his own failed.
The first wish of anyone who receives an organ is to know the identity of the person they owe their life to
Mr Debattista, a 74-year-old retired police officer and security guard, is the founder and president of Transplant Support Group, an NGO which aims to bring together all transplantees of organs and tissue, locally or abroad, and those waiting to be transplanted with an organ or tissue, and look after their needs and well-being.
“I waited for a match for two years and during that time there was no one to whom I or my family could turn for help or advice. This motivated me to start the group.”
Another of the group’s objectives is to honour the memory of their deceased donors and members, and to keep in touch with their next of kin. “The first wish of anyone who receives an organ is to know the identity of the person they owe their life to.”
In Mr Debattista’s case, the person was George Sultana, a 31-year-old Gozitan who died after falling off a balcony. “Aside from myself, seven other people benefitted from Mr Sultana’s organs. Every year we go up to Gozo to meet George’s family and to visit his grave.”
All 10 members of the group, who are aged 30 and above, are transplantees who have received different organs. This means that each member is well-placed to provide support over a specific type of transplant. Despite being geared towards supporting transplantees and those awaiting an organ match, the group also plays a vital role in signing up new donors.
Mr Debattista says the group processes an impressive average of 400 applications a month.
“A Eurobarometer survey found that Malta has the highest percentage of potential organ donors... There is hardly any waiting list at all when it comes to heart transplants,” he says.
The group have also conducted their own survey to gauge people’s opinion on whether donors should be flagged as such on the new identity cards. A whopping 94 per cent of respondents agreed; even those who did not have a donor card at the time said this should be the case.
“This would make the donor status more official,” says Mr Debattista. They also put pressure on the Health Department to keep the medicines needed by transplantees in stock.
Mr Debattista says that one of the main difficulties the group encounters is that people do not realise they are a voluntary organisation, and therefore cannot always process the huge amount of applications swiftly, although they usually manage to issue a donor card within days.
The process of becoming a donor is a fairly straightforward one. Interested people can apply on the phone, by e-mail or through the group’s website, and a donor card is then sent out. Sometimes the group must address taboos and concerns which arise when dealing with such a sensitive issue.
“The most common fear is that organs might be removed before someone is confirmed to be deceased, but organs can only be removed once a patient is certified as brain dead.”
In all cases, the next of kin can reverse the decision of donors after they have passed away but Mr Debattista says this hardly ever happens. “George’s mother says that when she sees us living because of his organs, she feel his presence. Relatives appreciate the huge gratitude that transplantees feel towards their donors.”
What sort of people become donors? “I would say eight out of every 10 donors are female. What usually happens is that the mother will ask to be a donor and then persuade the rest of the family to follow suit. I think it’s because women have more of a caring nature.”
Everyone is eligible to become a donor, no matter how old they are. Every harvested organ is tested to see if it is healthy and if it matches the patient. Interested persons who wish to register as donors can apply online at www.transplantsupport.com.mt, or send an e-mail to transplantsupport@onvol.net.