Donor Families Australia representative and Proserpine resident Kelli McDonald knows this from personal experience.

"I lost my mum three years ago, she was a local transferred to Townsville hospital who had a brain aneurysm,” she said.

"When we realised nothing could be done, we as a family knew it was her wish to become an organ donor and through that she gave three people a second chance at life.”

Mrs McDonald attended DonateLife Thank You Day at The Strand in Townsville on November 20.

The event attended by 30 people brought organ donor families, recipients and DonateLife staff together.

She said support networks such as this weren't available three years ago when her mother died, but made all the difference to help her deal with the emotional journey.

"It's very therapeutic speaking to (recipients) because they understand the grieving process and other emotions attached to organ and tissue donation that no one else can understand until you have been through it,” she said.

"It's not for everyone but for those who wish to do it it's wonderful.”

Noting the lack of support services for those affected by the grieving process, Mrs McDonald aims to set up DonateLife meetings in regional areas like Hervey Bay, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

Mrs McDonald urged all families to set aside a few minutes of their time to make everyone's intentions known.

"No one likes talking about death and dying, but I would like to encourage everyone to discuss organ and tissue donation with their family and let their wishes be known,” she said.

According to DonateLife Queensland, only 42% of families agree to have a family member's organs donated when their wishes are unknown.