This Organ Donation Week (Monday 23 to Sunday 29 September) marks 30 years of the NHS Organ Donor Register saving lives through the gift of organ donation.
Thanks to the generosity of 15 donors and their families, 39 patients were able to receive life-saving transplants facilitated by Medway Maritime Hospital between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. In the same period, there were 13 tissue donations to patients.
As the law around organ donation changed in 2020, it is important to remember that it is assumed that when someone dies in the circumstances where they could be a donor, that they agree to donate if they haven’t officially opted out. However, no-one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. People still need to confirm your decision and your family will be consulted before donation goes ahead.
To help raise awareness, Medway Maritime Hospital’s clock tower and Rochester Castle will be lit-up pink all week. The spire of Rochester Cathedral will also be illuminated in the same colour from Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 September. Pink is the colour of NHS Blood and Transplant’s ‘Yes I Donate’ organ donation campaign, which aims to encourage people to confirm their organ donation decision by adding their name to the NHS Organ Donor Register.
At present, there are around 7,000 people waiting for a transplant in the UK. However, as only 1,400 people die in circumstances where organ donation is possible, every donation is precious and can make such a difference.
Dr Gill Fargher, Chair of the hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee, has been an advocate and champion for organ donation since the sudden and tragic death of her beloved husband Tristan, known as Tris, in January 2015.
She said: “My life was shattered when I lost Tris, but four people’s lives were saved or transformed because of him at the time of his death when his kidneys and corneas were donated. Tris donated other tissues when he died and because of this, he helped 12 people in the months after his death.
“Confirming your decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register makes it clear to your family that you want to be an organ donor, leaving them certain of your decision at what is a difficult and emotional time. We need more people in Medway and Swale to confirm their decision on the register today in order to save more lives now and in the future. It really could be the difference between life and death for someone else.”
The Organ Donor Register was set up to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate. It was the result of a five-year campaign by John Cox and his daughter Christine after their son and brother, Peter, died in 1989. He had asked for his organs to be used to help others.
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Thanks to the support of Medway Maritime Hospital during Organ Donation Week, we can get the message across to more people that organ donation saves lives.
“Every day across the UK thousands of patients and their families are waiting for a life-saving call. But this can often only happen as a result of another family receiving very difficult news and supporting organ donation to help others.
“Thanks to the Cox family’s relentless campaigning the NHS Organ Donor Register has potentially saved the lives of thousands of people. This is an incredible legacy for Peter, and we are so very grateful to the whole Cox family for their tireless work over the years which made this possible.
“With more people, both adults and children, waiting for transplants, it’s more important than ever to confirm your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. We urge everyone to take a moment this Organ Donation Week to register and confirm your decision.”
To find out more and confirm your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk. Users of the NHS app, can also use this to record, check or amend their details or decision.
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