“Change the end of someone’s story”: the EU helps improve organ transplantation system and raise public awareness of its importance

"Change the end of someone's story": the EU helps improve organ transplantation system and raise public awareness of its importance

"Saving someone's life means a lot. You do lose a loved one, but you can put smiles on other people's faces". This is how Liche Dedejska, through tears, yet with solace, describes why she and her sisters decided to donate organs of their deceased mother. Their poignant testimonies, together with the story of Emilija Hristovska Kostovska, who received a fresh chance in life with a donated heart transplant, are in the focus of the documentary that wraps up a two year-project funded by the EU for support of the transplantation system in North Macedonia.

"Change the end of someone's story" premiered in a Skopje cinema on 25 March - amid very positive reactions. Produced by 'Vidi Vaka' in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the documentary vividly depicts the pain of losing a family member, but also the virtue of deciding that their organs save someone else's life. A story of kindness and courage, it is yet to be broadcast in local TV stations and offered to film festivals, also abroad.

The documentary is only one of the many outputs of the EU project designed to strengthen medical expertise on organ transplantation in the country - and the overall transplantation system.

Over 300 medical workers involved in transplantation processes (including psychologists and psychiatrists that support donors' families) underwent comprehensive training, based on EU standards. A strategy for persons waiting for transplantation and/or living with transplanted organs was developed. Tailored training sessions were organised for journalists, along with educational ones for high school students around the country. All this came on top of the project's activities to improve the transplantation management in the national e-health system (Moj termin) and to align the national legislation with respective EU regulations.

In addition to the documentary, the public awareness was raised with other activities. There was a competition for posters on organ donation - with the participation of over 80 high school students and nearly 40 professional designers, and the winning designs were part of a travelling exhibition in Skopje and other towns. Also, a specialised website and social media platforms were developed to inform the audience on a daily basis about organ donation and transplantation, including the misconceptions that surround it.

"Raising public awareness of the importance of organ donation is crucial - transplantation is not possible without organ donation. This is why we say that transplantation is not a mere medical procedure. It is a social awareness that we build with empathy, love for our loved ones, but also with love for life in general. Deciding to donate an organ from a loved one when you lose them forever in order to save the life of someone you do not even know is difficult. It takes a great deal of courage, empathy, compassion, love and - above all - altruism. This is why the story of Liche Dedejska and her sisters is so special and touching everyone's heart. It is a story about the courage of three women who managed to change our world, to make us step back and think. Their decision saved several lives and gave us an even stronger motive to keep developing the transplantation story. This project has elevated transplantation in the country not only in terms of expertise and professionalism, but also in terms of selflessness", says Adrijana Georgiev, project manager and coordinator for transplantation at the Ministry of Health.

In the past four years, 21 families gave consent for organ donation. Thus, 38 people received kidneys, 4 livers, 11 heart transplants and 32 bone tissues.

Currently, 216 patients in the country are on transplantation lists. The project team hopes that the results of their work will reduce these people's waiting time until a fresh chance - for life.