*IVOR & ALLISON* UK - Register to save be a life-saver/National Transplant Week

[Guest guest]

08 July 2006 11:30

Two mothers whose sons have been saved by organ transplants are urging families

in Norfolk to sign up as donors and

help save lives.

National Transplant Week begins tomorrow and will highlight the thousands of lives

saved by organ donation and transplantation and the need for more donors to

come forward.

In the NR postcode area, there are 77 people in need of an organ transplant -

71 needing a kidney, five needing a heart and one needing a heart and lung.

Since 2002, 13 people have died while on the waiting list - nine waiting for a

kidney, one for a combined heart/lung and three for a liver.

There are 171,627 people on the Organ Donor Register in this area.

Lorraine Tweedy's son Will, 13, had a liver and bowel

transplant in 2004 after being born with a rare form of intestinal

pseudo-obstruction which meant his body rejected solid foods. His bravery in

battling his condition led to him being named as last year's Hero of Heroes

winner in the Evening News awards.

Mrs Tweedy, 42, from Mile

End Road, Norwich said:

“We are so thankful to that person who donated their organs - that

person's family are the heroes because they saved my

son's life and we will be indebted to them for life. It is difficult for people

to come to that decision at a time when they are about to lose a loved

one.”

She added that while people knew about donating the main organs such as heart,

liver and lungs, there was much more that people could donate.

“You can donate your bowel, you can donate your stomach and your

skin,” she said. “All our family are

donors. Will has asked if he can donate his organs when he dies, but

unfortunately he can't - the doctors said they can't be used the third time

around!”

Sam Hylton, 11, had a liver transplant at less than

eight months old after he was born with a disease called biliary artresia, which meant his liver was poisoned and did not

work.

He is now an outgoing and lively boy who has helped his mother,

Thurston, raise money for King's College

Hospital in London,

where he underwent the operation.

Miss Thurston, 32, from Hoveton, said: “If he

had not had that transplant he wouldn't be here.

“Transplant week is fantastic to try to promote this cause. When we went

on a skiing trip to Switzerland

earlier this year for transplant children we were talking to the transplant

co-ordination team from King's and they said they were trying to change the law

so that it becomes an opt-out scheme. We need to have a change in the

law.” Angie Burton, marketing and campaigns manager for UK Transplant,

said: “Despite continuous medical advances making transplants ever more

successful, they still rely on the generosity of individuals.

“Sadly, more than four out of every 10 people who could become donors do

not because their family refuses permission, often because they are not sure

what their loved one wanted. This has led to a critical shortage of donated

organs and means there are more than 8,000 people in need of a transplant, many

of them enduring anxious and severely restricted lives while they wait. Last

year, almost 500 people died because no suitable donated organ was available.

“Research says 90pc of people support organ donation, but only 22pc of us

have got around to registering our wishes. In fact, we are all far more likely

to need a transplant than we are to become a donor.”

Ü To find out more about organ donation and

transplantation, contact the Organ Donor Line on 0845 6060400 or visit

www.uktransplant.org.uk. Even if you already carry a donor card, get in touch

to ensure your wishes are recorded.

Ü Have you or anyone in your family been saved by an organ transplant? Call

health reporter Hall on 01603 772426 or email sarah.hall2@...

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