Our Have A Heart campaign, which originally aimed to spur an extra 1,000 people to sign up as organ donors, has notched up an amazing 3,086.

And there is still one month of the six-month drive to go.
Transplants transform lives and are one of the most miraculous achievements of modern medicine.

However, their success depends entirely on the generosity of donors and their families who make the life-saving gift of life after death.
Our Have A Heart campaign aims to improve the outlook for those waiting and hoping for the perfect organ match.

More than 10 million people have already signed up as potential donors, but there is still a chronic shortage of suitable organs for transplant.

Every year around 400 people die while waiting for that all important match, while many others lose their lives before they even get on the waiting list.

When we launched our appeal in March, 85,703 people from the Preston area had registered their wishes to become a donor.

But now, a staggering 88,789 people have expressed their wishes to support the cause of life after death.

Leonie Snowden, 16, is the face of our campaign and we highlighted her plight in our quest to boost donors.

The youngster, of Alderfield, Penwortham, was born with cystic fibrosis and was placed on the transplant waiting list after doctors revealed her lungs were deteriorating rapidly.

Only a month after the launch of our appeal, a match was found for Leonie and she underwent the seven-hour double transplant at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in April.

The transplant was a success and Leonie is now at home with her family and is making a wonderful recovery.

Bob Corfield from UK Transplant today said: "The Lancashire Evening Post's Have A Heart Campaign reaching this major milestone is fantastic news for organ donation in the area.

"Every single person who has signed up to the organ donor register as a result of the campaign has made the decision that they want to leave the legacy of life to someone else.

"The paper's campaign has been great and the coverage has been wonderful and has obviously touched the hearts of hundreds of readers and spurred them on to help people live improved or much longer lives.

"Everyone who has signed up as a donor now has the power to save or massively improve the lives of many other people with the donation of their organs.

"However, there is still a huge shortage of donated organs in this country and around 400 people are dying every year for want of a donated organ.

"Every one of those people who have signed up as a result of the Lancashire Evening Post campaign is doing their bit to reduce that number of deaths.

- originally published 07/08/03