When Chifley man Ian Holyland sleeps at night under a rose-patterned quilt, he thinks of his late wife Barbara and her love for the flowers.
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But the quilt conjures up bitter-sweet memories, as it was the same quilt Mrs Holyland was covered in on her way into the operating theatre to have her organs taken after she died.
Donate Life gave the quilt to Mr Holyland after helping him and his sons make the difficult decision to donate her organs after shedied of a brain haemorrhage in 2011.
"The Donate Life people came to the hospital later that afternoon and talked about organ donation, and I said we'd discussed it and I knew she was willing to donate her organs," Mr Holyland said.
"She was always a giver in life and she was a giver after her life.
"They were able to give two people a kidney each and another person a liver."
Mr Holyland arrived home from work in April 2011 to find his 68-year-old wife barely breathing and collapsed in the backyard.
An ambulance rushed her to hospital with a brain haemorrhage, but after a night on life support she was declared brain dead the next day.
Mr Holyland said the "black dog was a regular visitor" after his wife's death but he takes comfort from the fact three people are alive thanks to her.
"I had a thank you card from one of the children of the person who got the liver, which was a great feeling," he said.
"I'm able to contact Donate Life at any time and find out how the recipients are doing … the last time they said they were all doing well."
Mr Holyland shared his story ahead of Gift of Life's annual awards on Thursday where six people will be recognised for the various ways they have contributed to promoting greater awareness of organ donation.
He hopes it encourages others to have the conversation with their loved ones before they die.
President of Gift of Life, the community organisation promoting organ donation awareness in the ACT and nationally, David O'Leary said the consent rate for organ donation across the country had risen from about 55 per cent to 65 per cent in recent years, but for people who have discussed their decision with loved ones and registered as a donor it was closer to 90 per cent.
"[Each donor] can help up to 10 people, on average they help three or four people," he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Gift of Life gave Mr Holyland the quilt and discussed organ donation with he and his family.
