Generous folk in Lancashire give gift of life

The annual Transplant Activity Report was released by NHS Blood and Transplant yesterday

In the last year alone 47 people from Lancashire became lifesaving deceased organ donors.

Sally Johnson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to all the families in Lancashire who have chosen to say ‘yes’ to organ donation.

“Organ donation is the only hope for many desperately ill people. We know many families feel a sense of pride and comfort from their decision to save lives through organ donation. We want more people to have that opportunity.”

Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant reveal a 213 per cent increase in donors in the county over the last decade.Nationally, the annual Transplant Activity Report released yesterday reveals that there was a record number of organ donors, with 1,574 people saving lives through deceased organ donation in the last year.

Karen Partington, chief executive at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are pleased and grateful to see rising numbers of individuals who are opting to be on the organ donor register, and saving lives across the country, and in our area.”

The Post ran a campaign, Giving the gift of life, to enlist an extra 2,016 donors in 2016. Although the rise in donors is on the increase, the target is yet to be hit and there is still an urgent need for more people to support donation.

Eight people from Preston are on the transplant waiting list with 114 people on the list across Lancashire.

Three people die a day in need of a donated organ.

Anyone can join the NHS Organ Donor Register, age and medical conditions are not necessarily a barrier to donation.

However Sally says that many over 50s do not join the NHS Organ Donor Register or tell their families they want to donate.

“We need more people aged over 50 in Lancashire to support donation,” she said. “People in older age groups can still save and transform lives through organ and tissue donation. Many more lives could be saved by telling their families they want to donate.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register see www.organdonation.nhs.uk