Organ Donation Week: Thanking donors for giving others the gift of life
To mark Organ Donation Week we are celebrating the memory of deceased donors and thanking them and their families for giving others the gift of life.
Adi Whiting, 35 died in January 2024, 10 days after he was brutally attacked outside his place of work while trying to intervene in a dispute between two other people.
Adi was transferred from Boston’s Emergency Department to Queen’s Medical Centre for specialist care.
Adi’s mum Debbie Paul said: “When we were told that there was only a very small chance that Adi might pull through I remember saying to the doctor that he would want to donate his organs. Adi was one of those people who was always helping others.
“Everyone knew him or recognised him. He had his hair in a Mohican which changed colour every week. He was a lovable rogue; a character right from leaving school.”
Adi’s family were told their decision to donate his organs saved the lives of five other people, who received his lungs, heart, liver and kidneys. His pancreas and brain were also used to support life-saving research.
Debbie added: “I find it comforting to know that part of Adi is out there, and I am so pleased that five people have benefited and have got the chance to have a decent life.
“It was not a hard decision for us to make, in fact I feel it was a very good one, because we knew what Adi wanted.”
According to NHS Blood and Transplant, more people than ever before are in need for a life-saving transplant across the UK, with more than 7,600 people on the active waiting list (as of 31 July 2024).
The Organ Donor Register was set up to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate. It was the result of a five-year campaign by John Cox and his daughter Christine after their son and brother, Peter, died in 1989. He had asked for his organs to be used to help others.
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.
Sadie Harris, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation, said: “Within NUH, we are incredibly proud to facilitate and support organ donation. We are incredibly grateful to our deceased donors like Adi. We spend time educating and promoting organ donation, meaning everyone involved is best placed to help families in times of great stress and grief.
“As we approach the 30th anniversary of the organ donor register, it is so important to think about what your organ donation decision is, registering this online, and then letting your family and friends know. Doing this protects your family from having to make that decision on your behalf, if organ donation is ever a possibility for you. A specialist nurse will consult the register and then spend time with your family empowering them to support your decision.
“Simply put, Organ Donation saves lives. Go online today and register your decision at www.organdonation.nhs.uk.”
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Every day across the UK thousands of patients and their families are waiting for a life-saving call. But this can often only happen as a result of another family receiving very difficult news and supporting organ donation to help others.
“With more people, both adults and children, waiting for transplants, it’s more important than ever to confirm your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. We urge everyone to take a moment this Organ Donation Week to register and confirm your decision.”
To find out more and confirm your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk. Users of the NHS app, can also use this to record, check or amend their details or decision.