Help Transplant Patients in Surrey by Pledging the Gift of Life at Christmas

Published on: 3 Dec, 2019
Updated on: 2 Dec, 2019

You and your family may be able to donate a Christmas gift of life to someone, by pledging the bequest of an organ transplant, in answer to a plea from the National Health Service.

In Surrey, 69 people face Christmas on the waiting list for a transplant. Across the UK, there are 6,000 more, including 185 children, awaiting a life-saving gift*.

Families in Surrey are being urged to share their organ donation decision this festive season so their loved ones know what they want when they die and more patients can have the transplants they desperately need.

This year, Dave Webb, aged 46, from Walton on Thames, Surrey, waited for a heart transplant for four weeks. He was born with a heart condition, as was his brother Stuart, but neither of them knew about it until Stuart became unwell in his mid-20s.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy brought both men to the brink of death and doctors are baffled by the genetics behind it. Stuart faced two decades of health problems ending in a lifesaving heart transplant in summer 2016 when he was 46. His experience paved the way for Dave.

His first signs of issues were in his early 30s. In 2011, he had surgery. But in 2016 he deteriorated, while having to cope with the death of his wife and father as well as Stuart’s wait for and recovery from a heart transplant.

In March 2018, his heart situation deteriorated again significantly and early this year Dave was listed for a transplant just like his brother and after four weeks she had a healthy new heart.

“I have more energy and a buzz for life again,” he said. “I cannot believe the difference already.

“Christmas this year will be a very positive time for me. For the first time in quite a few years, I feel as though there is a future.

“I did not realise how ill I have been until now but, thanks to my transplant, I can feel the difference and the potential I now have. It is, by far, the best Christmas present I have ever received and I am so thankful for it.

“I’m looking forward to just spending time with the people I love, safer in the knowledge that I get to see them for longer now.

“My thoughts are also with my donor’s family as they prepare to spend their first Christmas without their loved one. My utmost respect and thanks to them.

“There are many things I want to do and I have already started doing them. I think one thing that interests me now is travel. I want to see more of the world. Once I am cleared to fly by my medical team, I will look into doing just that.

“I have also reduced my working hours so I have more time to do things I want to do. If I have understood nothing else, it is that we are here but for a moment and we must enjoy as much as we can and experience everything possible. Merry Christmas, everybody.”

Anthony Clarkson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Christmas is an incredibly busy time of year, but away from the rush and bustle of preparing for the holiday it should also be a time for family and thinking of others.

“We are urging everyone in Surrey to take a moment to think about the people who will spend their Christmas hoping for just one thing; a life-saving organ transplant. Would you like to help if you could? If you needed a transplant, would you want someone to donate to you?

“Please let your family know what your organ-donation decision is so we can save more lives. Every precious organ donor allows more families to spend special times together.

“A quick chat can save lives, and we know that even at a time of grief families take enormous comfort and pride from their loved one’s donation.”

Keith Buckley, aged 74, from Nottingham, sadly died in December 2015 after falling off a ladder while putting Christmas lights up at his home.

But the retired fire officer’s kidneys helped two people. His daughter, Jane Stubbs, is facing her fifth Christmas without him but gains comfort from knowing he saved lives after his death by being an organ donor.

She said: “It was unexpected and was absolutely devastating. I never imagined something like that would happen to my Dad. You think they are invincible.

“It was the last thing we thought we would have to be dealing with at that time of the year. There is never an easy time to lose someone, but Christmas just seems even worse.

“Something positive had to come out of something so tragic and it was what my Dad wanted. He had never talked about organ donation or dying but I wish we had. He had already signed up to the organ-donor register, but I wonder if he ever thought it would apply to him?

“You just want to make sure you are doing what he wanted, and I would not have gone against his wishes.

“There is nothing to fear by allowing your loved one to be a donor. Our experience was amazing. The hospital staff were so caring and compassionate. Nothing was too much trouble. They made the whole thing more bearable.

“I hope the people he saved spare a thought for my Dad and for us and raise a glass or two to his memory. I hope they make the most of every day. It makes me feel proud knowing my Dad helped them to live. I don’t want them to feel guilty although some recipients do. Just carry on living.

“You try to focus on the positive happy memories, but it is hard. I miss him so much. We never got to say goodbye or tell him how much we loved him. As a family, we will spend time together this Christmas. Life goes on. I love to talk about him and tell everyone how proud I am of him.

“Family at Christmas was very important to my Dad. He liked to have the family around him at that time of year. It was an opportunity for us all to come together, to have a laugh, and make some happy memories. He absolutely doted on his two grand-daughters. We love to talk about our family Christmas memories, particularly when I was a child and the things we used to do.

“I would urge everyone to have the conversation and to make sure they sign up to be an organ donor. If your loved one agrees to donate their organs make sure you abide by their decision when they pass away.

“It’s not about your needs, it’s about what they wanted to do. I fully support the new legislation. Most people would expect or demand to receive an organ if they or a loved one needed one. You should be prepared to donate.”

From spring 2020 in England and Autumn 2020 in Scotland, the law on organ donation is changing. All adults in Surrey will be considered as having agreed to donate their organs when they die unless they record a decision not to donate, known as “opt-out”, or are in a group not covered by the new organ donation law. This system was introduced in Wales in December 2015 and Jersey in July this year.

Families will still always be involved in organ donation, so it is vital they know your choice. In the lead-up to the change in law, NHS Blood and Transplant is urging families in Surrey to talk and share their decision. If the time comes, families find the organ-donation conversation much easier if they already know what their relative wanted.

To find out more look out for the new TV advert, which launches over Christmas and explains more about the law changing in England next year. There is more information at www.organdonation.nhs.uk, where you can also join the NHS Organ Donor Register, amend your details and more.