Hookes' Family Tells Of Transplant Decision

By Steve Perkin

February 7, 2004

Cricketer David Hookes' family has spoken for the first time about its decision to donate his organs for transplant.

Hookes' stepdaughter Caprice Gellman said the final decision had been traumatic but was what he would have wanted.

"Everyone who was close to David, especially the family, knew he felt strongly about organ donation," Ms Gellman said.

"He believed it should be compulsory, an automatic thing. He'd say: 'Your organs aren't much use to you dead' and 'Why do you want to take them with you?'."

Hookes was declared brain dead on Monday, January 19, after an incident outside St Kilda's Beaconsfield Hotel.

He was on a life support system until the next day, when he was taken to the operating theatre.

Ms Gellman said the consent process was long and emotional.

"We knew we wanted to do it, but once you start going through the consent, it's quite a lengthy process. They need to go into a lot of detail, and that can become really tough.

"Then they start talking about individual organs, skin, all sorts of tissue . . . it does get very involved . . . and you say to yourself: 'I'm not too sure about that one'.

"While is was a difficult thing to do at the time, it was easier knowing how David felt about it.

"That's what he would have wanted."

News of Hookes' organ donation prompted a wave of people to put their names on the national Organ Donor Register. At the end of January, the register had 5278 names compared with 1784 at the same time last year

This article posted February 21, 2003.

Hookes' Family Tells Of Transplant Decision

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