Click card to sign up on organ donor register
Before we begin ….
YOU MUST TELL YOUR NEXT OF KIN
Were you aware that your organs cannot be donated without the consent
of your next of kin?
Without this communication, your donor card will be the symbol of an empty
gesture. A vast amount of potential organs are wasted every year due to
this often-unknown regulation.
By pledging to donate organs after your death you could make life better
for at least 8 people.
The more people on the register the less time people will have to spend
on the waiting list.
It is simple, costs nothing and could give someone the gift of life.
Reasons you should
make others aware:
By talking about donation with your family and friends, you'll help make
others aware of the problem. And then, if you want, you can join
the NHS Organ Donor Register. Even if you carry a donor card, you should
register too.
If you've decided you want to join the organ donor register go straight
to Sign
up - or carry on reading if you want to know more about organ donation.
Why you should talk to your next of kin
Make sure there's no room for doubt:
One of the major reasons for the shortage of organs is that too few people
think about donation or discuss it with their family. Statistics
show that 90 per cent of people are in favour of organ donation but only
38 per cent carry a donor card or have signed up to the NHS Organ Donor
Register. More than 50 per cent haven’t discussed donating
their organs or made sure that their families know their wishes.
Let your family know your wishes, because it’s your family (or the
person closest to you) who will have to agree to the donation.
While carrying a card and joining the NHS Organ Donor Register are a
good start, the most important thing you can do is to let your family
know your wishes. In the event of your death, it's your family (or the
person closest to you), who will have to agree to the donation. So, if
they aren't aware of your wishes, they may not be carried out.
Figures from UK Transplant show that where 90 per cent of people who have
signified that they are prepared to donate their organs in the event of
their own death, 40 per cent of relatives don't agree to donation when
asked. One of the main reasons for refusal given by the families
is that they didn't know whether the person would have agreed to donation.
By not telling your next of kin your wishes you are missing an opportunity
to help them cope a little better if you die. If you have decided you
want to donate your organs, in the event of your death, and your family
know this, they can then agree to the donation with peace of mind, making
a difficult time a bit easier for them.
Advice on talking to your family
- Try to find a suitable moment for the discussion, perhaps when events around you, such as the death of someone else known to the family or even a character in a TV soap, raises the issue.
- Listen to the feelings of everyone in the family and talk through their particular concerns, particularly your children
-
Prepare before you talk to them, perhaps by printing out some of the information on this website, so that you can answer some of their questions.
Want to know more before making a decision?
Deciding to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register is a personal choice
and it's important that you feel fully informed before making a decision.
If you want more information about organ donation then you can log on
to U.K Transplant www.uktransplant.org.uk
or ring them on: 0845 60 60 400 between 7am and 11pm,
seven days a week.
Is there any reason I can’t be a donor?
No matter what your state of health, whether you’re fighting fit or actually quite limited with various health problems, you should still join the donor register. This is because there are many different types of transplants undertaken, so even if your lungs or heart were not good enough to help someone, then your kidneys, skin or retinas could. All we suggest is that you sign up to the donor register and don’t worry about anything else. If the time ever did come then someone else will worry about these problems. Already you will have given someone a chance they may not have had if you weren’t on the register.
The 'Opt-Out' System:
Friends for Life wishes to make people aware of the 'opt-out' system which
would involve a national database of potential organ donors consisting
of the entire UK population. The system would enable those not wishing
to be organ donors to be removed from the database. This system is currently
working successfully in many European countries.
Previous Scandals such as Alder Hey Hospital:
Friends for Life wishes to express their concern that the publicity surrounding
this national outrage may discourage people from wishing to donate their
organs. Organ retention is in no way connected with organ donation.
One was done in illegally in the name of medical science, the other
as you can see is thoroughly regulated and could not continue without
public awareness, participation and support.
Another reason to join the register if you’re Black
or Asian
Another reason to join the register if you’re Black or Asian… People
from minority ethnic groups have a greater need for organ donors but donation
rates are low in these communities. Only about 2.4 per cent of all
donors on the NHS register are from minority ethnic groups, however these
groups make up a much higher percentage of those on the waiting list for
an organ.
Other Ways to Help:
We would like to note that we appreciate that transplantation/organ donation
is not acceptable to, nor an option for everyone, for whatever reason.
However there are other ways that you may be able to support our
campaign.
Visit our ‘How can I help?’ page.