Sutherland Shire baristas band together to save lives, one latte at a time

Local cafés in the Sutherland Shire are encouraging their customers to register as organ and tissue donors, as part of a nation-wide awareness campaign for DonateLife Week, which runs from 25 July to 1 August.

The initiative, which is being rolled out by hundreds of cafés around the country, encourages coffee-drinkers to register as an organ donor in the time it takes for their barista to make their morning brew.

For the duration of DonateLife Week, eight Sutherland Shire cafés are placing stickers on their takeaway coffee cups in a bid to raise awareness, with a message prompting customers to check their donor registration status via a QR code.

DonateLife Week 2021, which is themed the Great Registration Race, is all about encouraging people to register as an organ and tissue donor and to inform their loved-ones of their decision.

Last year, Australia recorded a 16 per cent decrease in the number of new donor registrations compared with 2019, due to the cancellation of awareness-raising events as a result of the pandemic. With only one in three Aussies registered, it’s never been more important to register.

Bianchini’s Espresso is one of the local cafés prepared to stick thousands of stickers on their takeaway cups to make a difference.

When Bianchini’s Espresso owner, Carmelo Pesce was approached by local donor family member, Leah Barthel, saying yes was a no-brainer. Coincidentally, Mr Pesce was taught by Leah Bartell's mum, Chris Barthel at his local primary school. Ms Barthel was a much-loved teacher at the school for 38 years before suddenly passing away from a brain aneurysm in 2011. She was able to save three lives through her generous gift as an organ donor.

“Through the immense grief and shock that we experienced with mum’s sudden passing, the one thing she gave me was the gift of clarity. I knew exactly what her wishes were if anything ever happened to her as she had registered as an organ donor, and had “had the chat” with me numerous times,” Ms Barthel said.

With many people still under the assumption that you can register as a donor via the NSW driver’s licence, it’s important for people to head to donatelife.gov.au and check if they’re registered. It only takes one minute using your Medicare card.