Friday, December 28, 2007

THOUSANDS SIGN UP TO GIVE GIFT OF LIFE AS DONORS

THOUSANDS SIGN UP TO GIVE GIFT OF LIFE AS DONORS
09:00 - 28 December 2007


There are 52 people in Gloucestershire waiting for a life-saving transplant.Since The Citizen launched its campaign in July, urging people to sign up as organ donors, 5,693 Gloucestershire residents have added their name to the NHS Organ Donor Register.

More than 30 people in the county have received donated organs since April this year. But more donors are still desperately needed.

Hywel Lloyd, a press officer for UK Transplant, said he was delighted so many people in Gloucester had signed up.

He said: "The Citizen campaign has helped raise awareness of the desperate shortage of donors that affects those people waiting for a transplant in Gloucester and the rest of the UK.

"Campaigns like this help encourage more people who want to help to take that extra step and join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Organ donation saves thousands of lives every year but this is only because of the generosity of donors."

In the county there are 52 people waiting for kidney, lung and liver transplants.

One person who knows all too well the importance of being a donor is Emma Beard. Her husband Kevin recently received a liver transplant.

Kevin, 41, who is dad to 16-month-old Jack, had chronic liver failure, caused by alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency.

He became ill in February and in May after getting a bacterial infection cellulitis.

The Hucclecote dad was placed on the liver transplant list on August 16 and he got the call he was waiting for on October 3.

Emma, 29, said: "We were very lucky that Kevin was only on the list for six weeks before having his liver transplant but many people wait a lot longer and some never get the chance, because they die waiting. We are so grateful that Kev has been given a second chance at life and will hopefully now get the chance so see our little boy Jack grow up.

"It is a very long, slow road back to good health but it is amazing to think that in the not too distant future, Kev should be able to chase around after Jack again and teach him how to play rugby and football.

"We owe that to the donor and his family and we can never thank them enough."

Tragically, in the past four years, 10 people in Gloucestershire have died while waiting for transplants.

on the organ transplant list.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=231771&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231773&contentPK=19376042&folderPk=108571&pNodeId=231887#continueNews

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