Transplant donors

2:13pm Thursday 26th June 2008

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IT’S always a privilege to talk to people or learn about people who’s lives have inspired or affected others. When Mark Preece from Belmont died last February from meningitis at the age of 42 his family and friends were shocked by the suddenness of his death.

Despite her grief, his wife, Lorna, bravely continued to support uk transplants and agreed to his organs being used. Four months later she heard that her husband had saved the lives of five people which included a one year old baby.

It takes courage to make decisions as major as this at a time when your world has been rocked. Lorna now carries her own donor card and she has also joined the ranks of people helping to raise awareness and funds for both meningitis and uk transplants.

There are15,451,506 people – 25% of the population – who have said they want to help others to live after their death by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register Today is Thursday, 26 June 2008 and since 1 April 2008: 192 people have donated organs, an additional 395 people have donated corneas,576 people have received the gift of sight,577 people have received transplant, 7,752 people are still waiting for transplants.

If you’d like to know figures for the year log onto: uktransplant.org.uk.