Gift of life given by 28 people in South Yorkshire after deaths last year

More people than ever before across the UK donated their organs after their deaths last year, according to the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report published today.

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Nationally, 1,600 people saved lives after their own deaths last year but the report also shows that 225 fewer people died in circumstances where they were able to donate their organs compared to the year before.

Over the last five years, 45 people in South Yorkshire have died while on the waiting list for organs.

There are currently 112 people in the county currently waiting for an organ, including Victoria Firth, aged 38, from Barnsley, who undergoes dialysis four days a week and is in desperate need of a new kidney.

She recently created a poster which she shared on Facebook appealing for a kidney to save her life.

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Organ donation is said to be a ‘relatively rare event’ in the UK, because although around half a million people die each year, only around one per cent do so in circumstances which allow organs to be donated.

But from spring 2020, the law around organ and tissue donation in England is changing and all adults in England will be considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they have recorded an objection.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to all the courageous donors and their families across the country, who helped us to save so many lives last year.

“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 let their final act to be saving lives through organ donation.

“No lifesaving transplant would be possible without the generosity of every donor and their families, who give their support and say ‘yes’ to organ donation.

“There are 112 people in South Yorkshire waiting for a transplant now. Their only hope for a new life is that a family in their time of grief will make the wonderful decision to agree to organ donation.

“With the law around organ donation changing in England from next spring, we urge everyone to find out about the choices available to them, make their decision and share it with their family.”

Visit the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk to find out more.