Family's plea after daughter unable to donate organs due to Australia's definition of death

The parents of Sheridan Apter are calling for a national conversation about Australia's definition of death, hoping to enable more organ donations. Sheridan, 35, was unable to donate her organs because they had deteriorated too much by the time surgeons were ready to retrieve them.

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There is no doubt whatsoever that if she could have helped someone, she would have said yes, 100 per cent.

Her parents, John and Anne Apter, last saw Sheridan at a family lunch before she went to a friend's house, where she was later found unconscious. After being taken to Sydney's St George Hospital and placed on a ventilator, she was diagnosed with severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Eight days later, her family was informed her condition would not improve.

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She would have loved to go, 'Yep, yep. My heart's beating somewhere else.'

Knowing Sheridan's generous spirit, her parents agreed to move her to a theatre for organ retrieval. However, she continued to breathe and maintain a heartbeat for four hours after life support was removed. This prolonged period meant her organs were no longer suitable for transplantation. "She would have loved to go, 'Yep, yep. My heart's beating somewhere else,'" Mr Apter said, expressing his certainty about his daughter's wishes.

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If there is a way that those organs can be maintained … so that when that person finally passes away, the organs are still able to be donated, well, that would be magnificent.

The Apters believe Australia's specific legal definition of death, which includes the "irreversible cessation of circulation of blood in the body," may be a barrier. Helen Opdam, national medical director with the Organ and Tissue Authority, noted that this wording is quite unique compared to other countries. The family hopes to explore ways to maintain organs for donation even after circulatory cessation, allowing individuals like Sheridan to fulfill their wish to give life.

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Our wording in our legislation is very specific and fairly unique, and particularly the fact that we've got [the] wording irreversible cessation of circulation of the body of the person.