An organ donor saved my life, I urge you to register says Preston grandma as donation rates drop

A donor recipient from Preston is urging people to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register as health leaders warn we are in one of the “most challenging periods for organ donation in over a decade”.

21 years ago, then 46-year-old Nicki Detko from Barton became critically ill after developing a rare autoimmune liver disease following the birth of her fourth child.

Two decades later, the mother of four and grandmother of seven is still here, living a full and healthy life, thanks to a life-saving liver transplant she received just one day after going on the transplant list.

Not everybody is so lucky however, as this week NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said that “urgent action” is needed to help the 8,700 people still waiting for a transplant.

NHSBT warned that there has been a “sharp” decline in organ donation due to fewer families consenting for their loved one to donate and a reduction in eligible donors.

Deceased donation rates are currently 9% below this time last year whilst family consent has fallen from 67% in 2020/21 to 57% last year.

Reacting to the news, Nicki, now 67 and living in Catterall, said: “It makes you realise how lucky you are. I mean, I've just seen on a friend's post, somebody else we know has waited four years for a transplant, and they're very young.

“I think it's more about the message…and that's why I've told my story a lot.

“The slogan from NHS Blood and Transplant is ‘Leave them certain’ so I've spoken to a lot of the donor families- I don't know mine- and a lot of them said it was easy because they'd actually, believe it or not, just had the conversation. You know, somebody with a 21-year-old son, they'd had a conversation at the breakfast table about it. Somebody else was 17 and they’d just got their driving license, and you can tick the box, can't you? They'd had a big discussion with the parents, and then the poor girl had a brain aneurysm and died and they just thought well that's what she would have wanted us to do.

“Otherwise I think peoples thoughts are that they're maybe doing something cruel, ripping out their organs, but it's not like that, it's all done very dignified. Last winter, I was involved in the NHS ‘Hope Takes Flight’ Christmas video to raise awareness, and one of the donors on that were the parents of a three-year-old little boy, and they'd lost him but they said it felt like he was living on, and it just gave them some hope in life.”

When she became ill, Nicki had to leave her job as a PE teacher at Garstang Community Academy but following the transplant, she had a long career as governor at Barton St Lawrence CE Primary School, has seen the birth of seven grandchildren and watched as one of her children went on to be a doctor, inspired by her donor story.

Nicki is also a keen runner and golfer and has competed in the British, European and World Transplant Games where she says the message of ‘hope’ shines through.

She said: “I went to the European Transplant Games in Arnhem, Netherlands this year, and there’s 1000s of people who've had a transplant. It's a bit like the Olympics, where you have an opening ceremony, a closing ceremony, and the last people to walk in are the donor families dressed with butterflies and it’s because we're the butterflies and they want their loved one to fly in us. So it's about living the best life as possible for them. I've just had a fantastic trip round Scotland so you know, life's for living now.”

NHSBT has this week launched an “urgent response plan” to try and tackle the dip in donors, both by encouraging people to register and improving family consent rates.

Work is also under way to try and find out why there has been a dip in donor numbers.

Prestonian Nicki thinks it may be because of the coronavirus pandemic. She told us: “I think Covid probably didn't help. There was a ban really on donations because of Covid and I think after that, people changed. People are maybe more scared of things now because that was a very odd time. Because I've had a transplant, it made my family realise ‘oh yes, I will donate’. It's like what if your child became ill? What would you do? I've told my story and some people will say ‘Oh, I can't do that’ but after I've explained the story more, people say ‘You know, you've you've actually changed my mind’. I mean, what better gift could you give to somebody than the gift of life? It's quite incredible, really. It's really emotional because during somebody else's saddest time, it becomes hope for your family, doesn't it? There's no dancing around it.”

News of the decline in organ donors comes as Organ Donation Week, which raises awareness about the importance of organ donation, kicked off on Monday.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHSBT, said: “We are facing one of the most challenging periods for organ donation in over a decade. The sharp decline in donors and the rising number of people waiting for a transplant need urgent action.

“We have already adapted significantly to changes in the donation environment, but saving lives and reducing the waiting list needs collective effort across the NHS and society.

“There is a simple action the public can take to help save lives. Please sign the NHS Organ Donor Register. Most of us would accept an organ if we needed one but opportunities to save lives are being lost because families didn’t know what their loved ones wanted. Leave them certain.”

“It takes two minutes to confirm an organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Each donor can potentially save up to nine lives. Visit organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23, or use the NHS app.”

Nicki added: “Please leave your family certain about your decision for organ donation. Have that chat around the kitchen table, or when you all get together. It may feel awkward, but it could save someone’s life, save a lot of heartache and give people hope.”