“Everyone here that I work with really feels a passion for what they do. I think what we do, and the outcomes we’re involved in, really touch us.”

These are the words of Fiona Hudson, a medical scientist with Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetics Services (VTIS) at Australia Red Cross Lifeblood. In this episode, Fiona talks about the incredibly complex work the VTIS team undertake through scientific testing - often known as “tissue typing” - to determine compatibility between a wait list patient and a potential organ donor.

Based at a laboratory at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in West Melbourne, the VTIS team tests every day of the year, so when an opportunity arises for a wait list patient to be matched with the right organ donor, the most up-to-date information is available to help the doctors and coordinators select the right recipient, at the right time. The testing process can take between 8 to 10 hours to complete.

Says Fiona, “For those people that have to wait months or years, we do a lot of testing, and a lot of names become very familiar to us. We don’t know any of the people on the waiting list personally, but it’s surprising how attached we all get to people that have been waiting for years for the right donor to come along.”

More Australians are alive today because of organ and tissue donation. To register to be an organ and tissue donor, visit donatelife.gov.au – it only takes a minute.

 

&ldquo;Everyone here that I work with really feels a passion for what they do. I think what we do, and the outcomes we&rsquo;re involved in, really touch us.&rdquo;
These are the words of Fiona Hudson, a medical scientist with Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetics Services (VTIS) at Australia Red Cross Lifeblood. In this episode, Fiona talks about the incredibly complex work the VTIS team undertake through scientific testing - often known as &ldquo;tissue typing&rdquo; - to determine compatibility between a wait list patient and a potential organ donor.
Based at a laboratory at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in West Melbourne, the VTIS team tests every day of the year, so when an opportunity arises for a wait list patient to be matched with the right organ donor, the most up-to-date information is available to help the doctors and coordinators select the right recipient, at the right time. The testing process can take between 8 to 10 hours to complete.
Says Fiona, &ldquo;For those people that have to wait months or years, we do a lot of testing, and a lot of names become very familiar to us. We don&rsquo;t know any of the people on the waiting list personally, but it&rsquo;s surprising how attached we all get to people that have been waiting for years for the right donor to come along.&rdquo;
More Australians are alive today because of organ and tissue donation. To register to be an organ and tissue donor, visit donatelife.gov.au &ndash; it only takes a minute.
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