Donor Day: Give the Gift of Life
90% of Brits support Organ Donation. With that number of us in favour, you’d think that there would be no problem at all saving those waiting for a transplant.
The trouble is that only 25% of us have signed the Organ Donor Register. Until a few months ago, I was one of the 75% who hadn’t. Then I met Holly Shaw.
Several years ago, Holly was diagnosed with kidney failure. She underwent dialysis several times a week and began the wait for a kidney donor. Thankfully, the call came, and the transplant was successful. Now, she has turned her attention to others on the waiting list, and has become a campaigner. Her work is being followed by Channel 4’s Battlefront and I’ve been helping her to try to make it a success.
Here’s the problem; There are currently over 7,600 people in Britain waiting for an organ transplant. Within the next year, 1000 of them will die because a match has not been found. That’s why we need to connect with the 65% of Brits who back organ donation, but haven’t yet signed up.
Today, April 7th, is Donor Day, organised by Holly Shaw. We’re encouraging you to become a two minute hero, and in the time it takes to make a cuppa, to sign the organ donor register, then to spread the word using social networks like Facebook. We’re trying to beat the record for people signing up in any one day, and go for 20,000 people!
Already, Metro has changed its masthead for the first time ever (thanks to Amy McLaren from Colman Getty!), placing a ‘heart’ in its logo. Holly was invited to go on GMTV and other press activity is planned. But none of this can compare to the power of you signing up and spreading the word.
Please be a part of Donor Day. Sign the Organ Donor Register and talk to your loved ones about your wishes.
It takes two minutes and it could change someone’s life.
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