125 people are on the transplant waiting list – Could you donate and save a life? | Latest news

 

Rowan Bailey was always clear about his organ donation intentions. He told his family: “Well I won’t be using them, someone else may as well have them!”

Rowan worked in the Emergency Department at Queens Medical Centre (QMC) as an Emergency Department Assistant alongside his sister, Jess Bailey, a Flow Coordinator. She said: “We were always very close, and it was great working with him. He was such a popular member of staff.”

“Rowan should have been at work on the day of his accident. Instead, a ten-minute journey ended in tragedy when he was knocked off his motorbike. An ambulance brought him to QMC where his colleagues were waiting in resus bay 1 for him.

“When we were told Rowan was not going to survive, we all knew he would want his organs donated. He was such a helpful, kind, gentle giant in life, we knew he could help other people in death.”

Jess and her family take comfort in knowing he has given others the chance to live and a part of him is living on.

Jess added, “I think organ donation week is fantastic. I hope it prompts people to have that conversation with each other.

“If that time comes, it's so much easier for family if they know your wishes. We didn't need to second guess ourselves.”

The NHS organ donation website says: “Two minutes now can save up to nine lives”. This year’s Organ Donation Week campaign, led by NHS Blood and Transplant, asks people to confirm their decision to donate on the Organ Donor Register.

Colin Rowbottom was 63 when he had a serious heart attack on his way to work. His daughter Jess said: “It is wonderful to think there is a bit of my dad that is living on and helping others. Organ donation is incredibly important. I think everyone should donate, I can’t see why you wouldn’t.

“My Dad was 63 years old when he drove to work and didn’t come home. Unfortunately, despite attempts made in the community he didn’t survive his heart attack.

Nicky, Colins wife said. "We were married for 34 years, and there was never once Colin turned down a request for help, that was the kind of man he was and knowing we gave him the chance to carry on helping people still, is very comforting to us.”

 

 

 

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, in the past year more than 400 people died because they didn't get the transplant they needed. Confirm your decision on the Organ Donation register. It’s the best thing you will do today.

Nikki Marriott is the mother of Erin who died in 2022 at 14 years old due to an infection on her brain.

Nikki said: “After emergency surgery and a week at Erin’s bedside in intensive care we had to make the impossible decision to turn off her life support. In that moment of heartbreak, we were asked about organ donation. Although it was a hard question, the answer came from Erin.

“She was a loving, kind, and generous person. She always gave so much of herself to others. We said yes so she could keep on giving. Erin’s heart, lungs, and kidneys were donated giving other families the chance for more time, more hugs, more laughter; things we so desperately wish we had more of with her.

“Grief can feel different when your loved one has donated their organs, for me it's a sense of knowing somewhere out there Erin is still living alongside those she's helped to save.

“Since Erin donated her organs, I've received beautiful letters from two of Erin's recipients. Knowing just a little about who received such special gifts has been incredible.”

At Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) an Organ Donation Team made up of nurse specialists and consultants provides specialist knowledge and guidance for families who are navigating their loved one's end of life.

Skye  Irvineberry, Organ Donation Specialist Nurse at NUH, said: "We are incredibly grateful to our deceased donors like Rowan, Colin and Erin, and also their families who play a big part in the process.

“It is so important to think about what your organ donation decision is, register it online, and then let your friends and family know. Doing this protects your loved ones from having to make that decision on your behalf if organ donation is ever a possibility for you.”

Simply put, organ donation saves lives. Go to the Organ Donation website today and register your decision.