Zaidee Rose Alexander Turner, aged 7 years and 22 days, died suddenly on 2nd December 2004 from a Cerebral Aneurysm.
At the time of Zaidee’s death the Turner family had been registered Organ and Tissue Donors for 5 years. Zaidee donated her Organs and Tissues at the Royal Children’s Hospital, as were her wishes at the time.
From this gift, the lives of seven other people were improved or saved. Zaidee’s parents, Kim and Allan, founded Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation to raise awareness of the need for increased organ and tissue donor registration in Australia.
Zaidee was the only child under the age of 16 years that was an organ and tissue donor in Victoria that year and only 1 of 6 children national to be a organ donor in 2004.
Zaidee’s Rainbow Shoelaces started out to be a few pairs sold in Shepparton to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.
We then launched Zaidee’s Rainbow Cricket Grip which Cricket Australia and the BBL, WBBL have all supported over the years.
They have now become the national symbol for people to wear in her memory.
Since 2005 we have either sold or given away over 2 million pairs nationally to start a discussion about what organ and tissue donation is all about.
Zaidee’s Rainbow Shoelaces started out to be a few pairs sold in Shepparton to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.
We then launched Zaidee’s Rainbow Cricket Grip which Cricket Australia and the BBL, WBBL have all supported over the years.
They have now become the national symbol for people to wear in her memory.
Since 2005 we have either sold or given away over 2 million pairs nationally to start a discussion about what organ and tissue donation is all about.
Over the past 20 years we have had every sports team from the elite to grass roots sports in all codes wearing and helping to promote in Zaidee’s legacy.
The AFL, Cricket Australia, Australia Baseball/Hockey teams, NRL, NBL Basketball, A-League Soccer – the list goes on.
Cricketing legend Michael Clarke supporting Zaidee’s Rainbow Shoelaces.
Zaidee’s Poem
When Zaidee was taken in for her final operation to be an organ and tissue donor
She did not need her bright blue eyes to see
Her lungs to breathe
Her little heart to pump blood around her tiny body
Nor did she need her kidneys or liver again
You see she had died.
All Zaidee needed to take to heaven was the love from her Mum, Dad and brother Jaz.
But other little children just down the hall in the same hospital did need her heart, her liver just to live life again.
These kids are now home with their mums and dads, brothers, sisters and friends again.
Two little kids got to see properly again, to see the faces of their Mum and Dad when they each received one of Zaidee’s cornea’s.
Two new born babies and an infant got a second chance for life from parts of Zaidee’s heart.
A mother received her greasiest gift ever, both of Zaidee’s Kidneys.
What Zaidee gave in death was life to other children and a mother because we as a family discussed this before a death in our family years before just in case.
Our little girl Zaidee gave the greatest gift of all, her organs and tissues, she is now our angel in heaven who we are so very proud of for what she achieved in her short 7 years and 22 days of life that many of us will never do and that is to give life to others.
Zaidee’s spirit and her memory will live on and on and on.
Written by a very proud Dad, Allan.
