Episode notes
S10: Special-Release Bonus 2: How Far Would You Go For a Workmate?
WARNING: This episode discusses the difficult journey of organ donation, which may confront some listeners – we urge listener discretion before tuning in to this special three-part series.
In this deeply personal and provocative three-part special, Sara, Trajce, and Alan traverse beyond the usual boundaries of work dynamics leading to work health and safety case law. They enter the territory in which values, courage, relationships, healthcare institutions, and government frameworks intersect in messy fashion. Also, in this episode, the podcast crew invite discussion by special guest, Clinton "CJ" Harding, the organ donor recipient.
At the heart of the series is Sara’s experience as a living kidney donor and CJ's opportunity to marvel at transitioning from accepting then moving from death's edge to a second lease on life. Sara reviews her nine-month decision-making journey that tested her resolve and made her confront both her values and capabilities. Unexpectedly, her decision confronted many of her friends, colleagues, and family, while testing the institutions, providers, and government support designed to support people through extraordinary choices.
This series doesn’t romanticise donation. It sits honestly with the discomfort:
- Being confronted by strong opinions and projected fears,
- Navigating a public hospital system under strain,
- Discovering the near absence of employer, insurer, or structural financial support,
- And learning, sometimes the hard way, who can hold space, and who cannot.
Sara laments the challenges she faced, unexpectedly, beyond her immediate biological and psychological sphere of live organ donation - the impositions that others placed upon her when projecting their own fears.
If this series prompts questions or curiosity about organ donation, we strongly encourage you to visit DonateLife and speak with your state or territory kidney transplant centre.
For more healthcare insights, check out 'Healthcare Insights: The Voice of the Consumer, the Practitioner, and the Work Design Strategist.'