Of the half a million people who die in the UK each year, less than 1% die in situations where they could become an organ donor.
That’s because the registered organ donor needs to be in hospital, in intensive care, intubated and on a ventilator.
However, even then, donation can only occur after their family has first given their approval (in spite of the fact that the deceased is already on the Organ Donor Register).
So, during ‘Organ Donation Week’ we encourage you to take a moment to discuss organ donation with your family and loved ones.
By doing so, they will also probably consider their own feelings on organ donation & share them with you too.
And that conversation might just provide you/ your family with some comfort if the above situation were ever to arise.
Please SHARE your decision about organ donation with your family.
Let’s talk about it.
Team Margot
Together, saving lives
Below is a ‘myth busting’ video from NHS Blood and Transplant, a helpful press release that they recently issued in advance of Organ Donation Week and the links to sign up as a donor online.
Join the millions of people who have told their family
They want to be an organ donor
Do your family know whether you want to be an organ donor? Have you ever talked about organ donation with them?
If the answer is no, then you’re not alone; sadly, many donation opportunities are lost every year because families don’t know if their loved one wanted to be a donor or not. Family support is crucial to enable donations to take place.
We need more people to talk about organ donation to increase the number of transplants that happen.
There’s no time like the present, talk about it today. Talking about your organ donation decisions makes it easier for your family to support your decision and for you to support theirs.
You could help someone waiting for that vital call, by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register and by telling your family.
Jo Adamou, whose daughter Cissy has had a heart and a kidney transplant says:
“You don’t realise the impact having a child or anyone you love waiting for a transplant can have on you and the difference an organ donation can make. It’s incredible that people donate, words cannot describe how grateful you feel.”
Millions of people are on the NHS Organ Donor Register already but only one in every hundred will die in circumstances where they could donate, so every donor is precious.
There are a number of ways in which you can help support our campaign:
Three people die every day in need of a transplant. We can change things, though we need your support to get people talking.
Previous Team Margot posts on organ donation:
05.9.17 When Vicki raised the question of donating Margot’s organs
20.7.17 Should non-donors be given an organ ?
22.8.15 Organ & Tissue donation
FIND OUT HOW
YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE.
WHAT’S INVOLVED WITH A STEM CELL OR BONE MARROW DONATION
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT AND A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT
HOW TO REGISTER
BECOME A BLOOD DONOR
REGISTER AS AN ORGAN DONOR
Husband to Vicki and father to Oscar (2007), Rufus (2008), Digby (2015), Humphrey (2017) & Margot (2012-2014)
Team Margot’s mission
To help save and improve lives by educating, inspiring and motivating people, especially from ethnically diverse communities, to register as blood, organ and stem cell donors.