Aquinas welcomes Health Minister for Organ Donation Week 2024

We were delighted to welcome the Health Minister, Mr Mike Nesbitt MLA to our school to launch Organ Donation Week 2024, and to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Organ Donor Register. Our Year 8 pupils took part in this event and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

/i/video/2025/organ/Launch_video_30_1-1.mp4

We were joined by Professor Tim Brown, Transplant Consultant, Belfast City Hospital, the Specialist Nurses in Organ Donation, Aidan Dawson from PHA, and Ryan Wilson, Dept of Health. We were also delighted to welcome representatives from local charities, 

As part of our Key Stage 5 Enrichment programme, Aquinas pupils are offered the opportunity to do an Organ Donation Module to help educate them about this vitally important topic and to help them make informed decisions, developing their empathy and understanding of others. It also shines a light on the world class renal team that we have here in Belfast, and the life-transforming work being done by this exceptional team, thus developing an awareness of a wide range of health-related career pathways that are available to our young people. The pupils are given the opportunity to hear from the perspective of the surgeon, nurse, donor family and recipients, as well as those who are on the waiting list. This collaborative work was inspired by the Chain of Life programme from Quebec and has been offered to our pupils for the last 7 years. A special word of thanks to Catherine McKeown, PHA who organised this event, and for her continued support.