6th July 2010
This week is National Transplant Week and with that in mind I’d like to tell you about an incident that happened some years ago.
I’ll always remember the day when a teenager came into the hospital where I was working at the time after being hit by a car. Sadly he died soon after because of his injuries. He was just 16.
But out of this tragedy came a remarkable turn of events. It turned out that this young boy was a card-carrying organ donor, and because of his young age he’d had to seek permission from his parents before joining the organ donor register, so they were aware of his wishes.
It doesn’t happen in every case, but for this boy’s family and friends the fact that he had made the decision about wanting to donate his organs in the event of his death, and because of this doctors had been able to save other’s lives, became a source of immense comfort (and no small amount of pride) to them.
And it didn’t end there. The local paper got to hear about the story and launched a campaign in partnership with the local health trusts, raising the visibility for the cause of organ donations and encouraging many people to join the register.
The fact is three people die every single day in the UK waiting for an organ transplant, so I would urge you to consider joining the organ donor register. It’s not a decision anyone should take lightly, so why not take the advice of the organisers of National Transplant Week and talk it over with your nearest and dearest?
No one of any age wants to think about dying but, if the worst did happen, just think what a life-saving difference your donation could make.