More Organ Donors Needed In Devon

4 September 2017, 05:00

Organ stock photo

Families are being urged to talk about organ donation

New figures show 67 people in Devon have died in the past ten years waiting for a transplant, while nearly 100 more are hoping to get the phone call that could save their life. 

NHS Blood and Transplant say hundreds of life saving transplants are being missed every year because families don't know what their relative wanted. Left to make the decision for someone they love, families often decide it is safer to say no. 

Anthony Clarkson, Assistant Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "It's a tragedy that people are dying unnecessarily every year in Devon waiting for transplants. 

"We know that if everyone who supported donation talked about it and agreed to donate, most of those lives would be saved. 

"This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision. 

"If you want to save lives, don't leave it too late to talk to your family. If you want to be a donor, your family's support is still needed for donation to go ahead. 

"If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family; what would you do if one of you needed a transplant? Would you accept a life-saving organ? If you'd take an organ, shouldn't you be prepared to donate?" 

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