The gift of life is a gift without price
Death and organ donation. They can be difficult issues to think about, let alone talk about. And if it's hard for us now, think how our relatives might feel, and the medical staff who fought for us right till the end. Nobody finds it easy to let go.
Adding your name to the NHS Organ Donor Register means that you join a nationwide, confidential list of people, held on a central computer database, who are prepared to be organ donors after their death. The register helps to bring donors and transplant recepients together quickly. It also makes it much easier for relatives to accept organ donation when they know that their loved one made the effort to register.
By joining the NHS Organ Donor Register now you could help save, or dramatically improve someone's life. To a chronically, or fatally ill person, its a gift without price.
We realise that organ donation is a subject that raises many questions and here are some of the answers YOU might need before you register.
Who can be a donor?
Anyone, even the elderly or people who have had various diseases, can be a donor in the right circumstances.
Will my
hospital treatment be affected
if they know I am a donor?
Absolutely not. Hospital staff will fight to save your life right up till the end. And anyway, the doctors who look after you are not the same ones involved in the transplant process, so there is no question of divided loyalties.
When are the organs removed?
Only when death has taken place for certain. Two doctors, working independently, and who are not involved in the transplant process, will carry out a series of proven, and strictly monitored tests to confirm brain death. As in any operation, the body is treated with respect and dignity throughout. You will be reassured to know that the funeral need not be delayed.
May I donate my organs to be used for research?
Yes - but this cannot be arranged through the Register. If you would like your organs to be used for medical research, please tell your relatives or doctor. No organ will be used for research without consent.
Views of Some Donors, Patients and Relatives
"I believe in living life to the full. That's why I think it would be good if, when I die, some parts of me can be used to give extra life to someone else. Better than going to waste, surely?"
"The offer of a donor ten years ago gave me my life, and gave me a life to live - without that gift of life, I would not be here today. All the things that I could not do before now come easily, thanks to someone's generous gift.
"My life changed dramatically immediately after the transplant. I went back to work as a cargo supervisor on the Swansea Docks 16 months after my heart transplant and worked for 15 years until my retirement."
"we feel comforted to know that some good may come from our tragedy - and that our grief will help to bring joy to somebody else."
How to join the register
To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, simply call Free phone 0800 555 777 (UK only) for a joining form and send it back. You won't need a stamp, but you should tell your family. Legally, relatives don't have to give their consent to organ donation in the UK, but in practice doctors ask them. It will be much easier to reach a decision if they know your wishes; it might also comfort them to know that your commitment is being fulfilled. The register is completely confidential and your details will never be passed on.
The Donor Card, carried by many people in the UK, will continue to be used, but everyone who carries one should also register - Donor Cards cannot always be found at the crucial moment.
For more information about organ donation and transplantation write to: UKTSSA, Fox Den Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS12 6RR. For more copies of the information leaflet call Free phone 0800 555 777 (UK only)
Ref: Leaflet ODR 1, produced by Department of Health, UK, January 1996
