Source: Cliff Taylor, Herald on Sunday

They put their lives at risk, suffer pain and inconvenience so that they can donate part of their bodies to help save or improve the lives of others. Now, with New Zealand lagging behind in organ donations, Kiwis are being urged to sign up.

(We have just taken the portion of this story relating to fertility and egg donation.  To read the full and moving story about the different types of Donor Angels, please visit the NZ Herald website by clicking here.)

"Donor angels" come in all guises. For couples unable to conceive a child, for instance, the gift of human eggs can be as significant as any organ. One donor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described how she had been fascinated by the idea of helping someone conceive since her early teens.

Last year she achieved her ambition by donating eggs to an Auckland couple who had tried unsuccessfully for a decade to have a baby. It was a fairly demanding process, involving various health tests, counselling, ultrasound and hormone treatments, some self-administered with injections in her abdomen.

"I put my life on hold for10months," she says. "But they were an awesome couple. I was happy to help." The process culminated in the harvesting of her eggs with the recipient alongside her, holding her hand. "That kind of completed the circle. They harvested eight eggs. She now has a daughter."

Coincidentally, the egg donor then became pregnant and now has her own daughter. She says the experience of donating was a positive one and she would consider doing it again, although now she has a child and a partner to consider, probably not for a stranger.  To read the full article, click here.

Related information:
- Fertility Associates donor services
- Become an egg donor
- Become a sperm donor