Organ donation - are you in the know?

by Taryn Davies | 31 October 2011

Beverley Knight is supporting the NHS Blood and Transplant campagin

Beverley Knight, Ricky Whittle and Pooja Shah are just a few of the celebrities backing NHS Blood and Transplant's (NHSBT) new campaign to urge more Black and Asian people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, so that more lives can be saved.

Currently, nearly 24 per cent of patients awaiting organ transplants are from Black and Asian communities – 1,842 people - yet these communities account for less than 2 per cent of those who have signed up to the ODR.

Gifted artist Jane Dalton-Brown from London, was only 29 when she died in a tragic pedestrian accident after being hit by a truck. She fulfilled her beliefs when she donated her organs for transplant to help others after her death.

Her brother Lloyd, who agreed to donate his sister Jane’s organs, said: “Before her accident, Jane discussed with her friends what she would have wanted if the worst was to happen, so the decision to donate her organs was made easier. I know Jane would have been glad that her wish to donate was fulfilled because her organs helped transform the lives of five people with life-threatening conditions.

“It’s such a devastating time when you lose someone. It is so important that the Black community are aware of organ donation. Very few donate their organs even though there is such a long waiting list of patients desperately needing them.”

Alia Rashid, Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, NHS Blood & Transplant, said: “It is vital that more Black and Asian people join the NHS Organ Donor Register. The message is quite simple – more Black and Asian patients will have the opportunity to receive a life-saving transplant if more people from those communities join the Register.

“Transplants can be carried out between people from different ethnic groups, but an organ is more likely to be a close match, and as a result a transplant is much more likely to be successful, if the donor and recipient have the same ethnic origin. Becoming an organ donor means that you could help save or enhance up to nine lives.”

Black and Asian people are more susceptible to illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease, which may result in organ failure and the need for a lifesaving transplant, but because of a lack of suitable organs, they often wait up to three times as long for a transplant than the general population.

Beverly Knight said; “"Right now there are 630 Black people whose lives are hanging in the balance, because of the lack of donated organs from the Black community. You can help to change this by doing something amazing today - joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. It takes just a moment of your time but could help to save or transform the lives of up to nine people".

A host of celebrities are getting behind the campaign which will see roadshows held in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Leicester over the next few months to highlight the need for more organ donors. Teams will also be visiting shopping centres, churches, temples and supermarkets in a bid to boost Black and Asian numbers on the ODR.


Sat 3rd Dec 11 – Bullring Shopping Centre – Birmingham

Sat 10th Dec 11 – Leeds Shopping Plaza – Leeds

Sat 14th Jan 12 – Kirkgate Shopping Centre – Bradford

Sat 4th Feb 12 – Arndale Shopping Centre – Manchester

Sat 11th Feb 12 – Highcross Shopping Centre – Leicester


Ten Things You Never Knew About Organ Donation

• You are more likely to need a transplant than become a donor
• Over 18 million people in the UK have signed the NHS Organ Donor Register
• By offering to become an organ donor you could save or enhance as many as nine lives
• Black and Asian people are three times more likely to need a transplant. This is because conditions such as diabetes and heart disease occur more often in these communities. 
• A transplant has a greater chance of being successful if the donor and recipient have the same ethnic origin
• There is a particular need for more donors from the Black and Asian communities – less than 2 per cent of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register are Black or Asian
• People from the South West of England and Scotland are statistically more likely to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register than people from other areas of the UK 
• The first transplant in the UK took place in 1960
• The number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply over the next decade 
• Carrying an organ donor card isn’t enough, you also need to register on the NHS Organ Donor