Rugby stars back organ donor call - icWales

Rugby stars back organ donor call - icWales

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Rugby stars back organ donor call by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

CELEBRITIES will urge the public to sign up to the organ donor register in the first campaign of its kind in Wales.

Rugby player James Hook, actress Connie Fisher and former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable are among the Welsh names to front the six-month drive.

It is hoped that the Donate Wales – Tell a Loved One campaign will help to address the dire shortage of organs for transplant in the UK.

It comes as more than 150 people in Wales have died in the last five years while they were on the transplant waiting list.

This will be the first organ donation campaign which is unique to Wales and will bring together nine major charities.

Health Minister Edwina Hart said: “Discussing what happens to us and our organs after we die are things most people don’t really want to think about but it is important for people to discuss the possibility with family members.

“If they are aware of their loved one’s wishes, family members can find it comforting to know that some good has come from their bereavement.”

About 470 people in Wales are currently waiting for an organ transplant, but with a desperate shortage of donors many face waiting years – 13-year-old Robert Edwards, from Dinas Powys, has been waiting for two years for a new kidney.

And there is a very real prospect that some will die while on the list. Last year, 16 people died while waiting.

More than 780,000 people in Wales have already joined the NHS Organ Donor Register but although the numbers are impressive, three out of four people have not joined.

And even though someone may have joined the register, they may not have spoken to their family about their wishes.

A person’s family makes the ultimate decision about whether organs can be donated after death.

Gaynor Taylor, whose son Richard and husband John both donated their organs when they died, said: “Knowing that Richard and John helped transform so many people’s lives gave me so much comfort at such a difficult time.

“When Richard died, both John and I never knew he had joined the organ donor register, but inside we knew it was something he would have wanted.

“Many families though don’t know what their loved ones wishes would be, which is why talking about them with your family and friends is so important.” The Donate Wales – Tell A Loved One campaign, which is launched today, will encourage people to talk about what they want to happen after their death as well as recruit more people to join the organ donor register.

But it will also tackle some of the common misconceptions about organ donation, such as there being no age limit to join the register or restrictions because of a person’s sexuality.

A series of television adverts featuring Colin Jackson, James Hook, Connie Fisher, Radio 1’s Aled Jones, Max Boyce, Feeder’s Grant Nicholas and Ruth Madoc will be screened from Friday.

Roy J Thomas, executive chairman of the Kidney Wales Foundation, which is leading the campaign, said: “The Donate Wales – Tell a Loved One campaign will get Wales talking about organ donation.

“If we are to bridge the gap between the number of people waiting for organs and the number of organs available, we need to start talking to our loved ones about our wishes to become organ donors when we die and make sure we all join the organ donor register.”

For more campaign information visit www.donatewales. org or join the NHS Organ Donor Register by calling 0845 60 60 400.