mmg.com.au

Kane Doncon always wanted to be a superhero.

His aunt and full-time carer Lee McGlynn thinks he has achieved his wish, even though he is no longer alive.

Kane, 16, has helped six people after donating his organs and tissue.

The Shepparton teenager died at Royal Melbourne Hospital on September 28 last year.

‘‘He’s a hero,’’ Mrs McGlynn said.

‘‘We’re all proud of him. He was brave young boy.

‘‘For someone his age with a disability to think of helping others that way is just marvellous.’’

Kane was diagnosed with high frequency deafness at a young age, then Asperger syndrome.

He was rushed to Melbourne with herpes simplex encephalitis — a rare brain infection — in December 2011.

The infection left him with more learning and social problems.

A scan then revealed an inoperable brain aneurysm he may have had since birth.

He died after an unsuccessful attempt to drain the aneurysm.

Mrs McGlynn said a television advertisement inspired Kane to become an organ and tissue donor.

‘‘He even wanted to donate his legs to a Collingwood footballer, but we told him we don’t think they do that,’’ she said.

Kane’s right kidney went to a man who had needed dialysis for more than two years.

The transplant has allowed the man to return to full-time work, support his family and travel.

Another man received Kane’s left kidney and pancreas.

Kane’s lungs were transplanted into a young man.

The left lobe of his liver went to a baby girl, while the right lobe went to a man with a chronic illness.

Another baby girl used Kane’s blood vessels to supplement a transplant from a relative donor.

Kane was left with his heart because a suitable recipient could not be found for its size and his blood type.

Mrs McGlynn said her family had registered as organ donors since Kane’s death.

She said the examples of Kane and Zaidee Turner, who died from a brain aneurysm aged seven in 2004, should encourage parents to share the importance of organ and tissue donation with their children.

About 1600 people are on Australian organ transplant waiting lists.

Fewer than 60 per cent of Australian families consent for organ and tissue donation to proceed.

‘‘Parents think their child is going to be mutilated,’’ Mrs McGlynn said.

‘‘They treat the body with the utmost respect.’’

Kane attended Gowrie St Primary School, Guthrie St Primary School’s deaf facility and Shepparton High School.

Mrs McGlynn became his carer because his mother Donna had an intellectual disability.

Visit www.humanservices.gov.au or www.donatelife.gov.au for more information about organ and tissue donation.