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Don't leave it too late to give the gift of life says Aviemore transplant woman





Karen with her daughter Eleanor, (22)
Karen with her daughter Eleanor, (22)

An Aviemore mother is marking the first year of her new kidney with a passionate plea for more people to "opt in" as the NHS steps up its search for organ donors.

Karen Lawrie said: "I simply wouldn’t be here but for what happened on a very Good Friday for me last year.

"At the 11th hour I received a vital new organ which helped me survive a horrendous period of my life.

"I feel compelled to join the campaign to have people come forward once and for all in the name of saving lives."

The polycystic kidney condition struck down the former community worker eight years ago and her condition had deteriorated severely by the time she received the organ.

"It was pretty fraught," she said. "I remember literally having to wait for my donor to die. It was such a strange feeling, but the gesture had been made and I was very, very grateful."

Now she wants more people to understand just what is at stake.

Currently in Scotland, organ and tissue donation after a person’s death only occurs if the person made clear in advance that they wished to be a donor –for example by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register or where their nearest relative authorises the donation on their behalf.

Mrs Lawrie said: "People are dying all the time who need not die, it’s as simple and as terrible as that.

"The fantastic doctors and nursing staff at Raigmore Renal Unit in Inverness, who saw me through so much, told me that one donor can save up to as many as seven lives.

"It really brings home to me about the need to education people and shatter the myths which deter people from donating organs they simply won’t need after they’re dead.

"What annoys me more than anything is being told that donating an organ should be seen purely as ‘a gift’ by the donor – but how much pleasure can it be, giving your organs when you are dead?

"They should be making the decision now, while they’re alive, to opt into the system which can lower the horrendous casualty rate which still prevails among people who should still have years and years ahead of them."

An NHS Scotland spokesman praised Mrs Lawrie for adding her personal dimension to the campaign for people to sign the Organ Donor Register.

She said: "Being able to donate organs to help people who desperately need transplants is one of the great miracles of modern medicine. This generosity was life changing for 415 people in Scotland last year.

"And Scotland has the highest sign-up rate in the whole of the UK – 43 per cent of us have joined the NHS Organ Donor Register.

"But it’s still not enough. People are still dying while waiting for a transplant. Right at this moment in Scotland, around 540 people with life-threatening illnesses are on the transplant waiting list."

Age is often cited as a problem with donors, but the spokesperson explained: "Very simply, all of us can do something to help. Whatever our age, and whatever our health. In fact, when it comes to donating corneas and some other types of tissue, age doesn’t matter in the slightest."

People across Scotland are currently being asked to give their views on organ and tissue donation including the introduction of a potential soft opt out system.

The 14-week consultation is looking for views on increasing the number of organ and tissue donors.

The key points being explored are:

whether Scotland should move to a soft opt out – or deemed authorisation – system of donation. This would allow organ and/or tissue donation to proceed when a person dies in hospital unless they had ‘opted out’ via the NHS Organ Donor Register or had told their family they did not wish to donate.

whether clinicians in Scotland should be given guidance to encourage them to refer potential organ or tissue donors to specialist donor staff, so the possibility of donation can be explored at an earlier opportunity.

For more information Google Organ Donation Scotland or call 0300 123 2323.


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