Families in the East being urged to talk about organ donation as many still waiting for 'life-saving call'

  • Watch a report from ITV Anglia reporter Rebecca Haworth

Families in the East of England are being urged to talk about organ donation.

Last year, 400 people from the region had their lives saved by a transplant, but many are still waiting for that life-saving call. 

The parents of a 17-year-old Miriam Lee from Kettering in Northamptonshire, who died unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest, are urging families to have the important conversation about organ donation.

"She was somebody who had a lot of time for others, and it's quite clear that even after her death, she wanted to help other", David Lee, Miriam's dad, said.

"And one of the things we found out later was that she was saying if you're prepared to accept an organ, then you should be prepared to give an organ, and that's exactly what she was prepared to do."

Even though she was young, Miriam already told her parents she wanted to donate her organs when she died. Credit: ITV Anglia

Miriam had already told her family that she wanted to donate her organs when she died and ended up saving the lives of four people.

In May, the law around organ donation in England changed to an ‘opt out’ system.

This means that it will be considered that you would be willing to donate your organs, unless you have opted out, are in one of the excluded groups or have told your family you do not want to donate.

More people in the East Of England urged are being to talk about organ donation to increase the number of lifesaving transplants.

Despite the recent change, there's still an urgent shortage of donors. 

 “We need more people in the East Of England to talk about organ donation to increase the number of lifesaving transplants", Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant said. 

“Even now the law has changed, families will still be approached before organ donation goes ahead. So it remains so important to talk to your families and make sure they know what you want to happen.

 “Register your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell your family the choice you have made. If the time comes, we know families find the organ donation conversation with nurses or medical teams much easier if they already know what their relative wanted.”