Australia is facing a critical shortage of donated tissue, including skin, bones, heart valves and tendons.

A new piece of art has come to Southbank. Tucked away at the end of Moore Street, outside the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria, is the latest creation by former Emergency Services Minister, Bruce Esplin.

Our new purpose-built facility was officially declared ‘open’ by the Attorney General, The Hon Martin Pakula MP in front of donor recipients, donor families and other special guests of the DTBV.

Daniel, Alison, Tim and John have each benefitted from the generous gift of tissue donation in very different ways. These are their stories, and what they would say to their heroic donors if they were given the chance.

Although there are mechanical alternatives, nothing beats a donated heart valve for the health and livelihoods of the patients of Dr Peter Skillington, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Miss Heather Cleland, Head of the Victorian Adult Burns Service at The Alfred Hospital, knows only too well how donated skin can save the lives of patients with complicated burn injuries.

When Myles died unexpectedly at age 15, his family were in no doubt about his wishes to become a tissue donor.

A corneal transplant can change someone’s life. Without donors, many people would simply lose their sight, and often their livelihoods forever.

Former Victorian Emergency Services Commissioner and sculptor, Bruce Esplin, talks about the process of creating the “Giving Hands” sculpture as his way of giving something back to the DTBV.