Sheffield organ donors receive personal
thanks
Sheffield residents have shown that they are committed
to saving lives by answering a call for people in the city
to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Nearly 4,500 Sheffield residents have added themselves
to the NHS Organ Donor Register over the past month, after
the health partnership for the city, Sheffield First for
Health, wrote to every council tax payer and urged them
to sign up. Due to the huge response from people in Sheffield
the Chief Executive of UK Transplant, Sue Sutherland has
written to Bob Kerslake and Andy Buck, Joint Chairs of Sheffield
First for Health to give her personal thanks to the city.
In the letter, Sue says: "I would like to give
my sincere thanks to the thousands of Sheffield residents
who responded so magnificently to the appeal for more organ
donors.
"These thoughtful people have joined more than
11.3 million others across the country who have placed their
names on the NHS Organ Donor Register, pledging to save
lives by allowing their organs to be used for transplantation
after their death.
"Transplant surgery is one of the most amazing
advances in modern medicine and is helping to save and transform
the lives of thousands of people every year; however, sadly,
many people still die because of a chronic shortage of organ
donors."
Research has shown that 90% of the population support transplantation
but so far only 19% have joined the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Adding yourself to the Register is easy and can be done
online at www.uktransplant.org.uk or by calling 0845 60
60 400. Potential donors who sign up to the register can
choose whether they would like to donate all of their organs
after their death, or they can select which they would or
would not like to donate from a list including kidneys,
corneas, heart, lungs, liver or pancreas.
There are currently 82 people in Sheffield waiting for
organ transplants which would dramatically improve their
quality of life. However, of a population of 520,000 there
are just over 80,000 city residents on the NHS Organ Donor
Register.
Joint Chair of Sheffield First for Health, Andy Buck said:
"We are delighted by the response we have had from
people in Sheffield in the wake of our postal campaign.
It is a clear sign, as the statistics suggest, that there
are many people who support organ donation but either don't
know how to go about it or have not thought about it and
discussed it with their families.
"Organ donation, while obviously saving lives,
also brings some benefit to donor families who say they
gain comfort from knowing that their loved one, although
no longer with them, has helped someone else to enjoy renewed
life.
"Organ donation is something we can all sign up
for. Whilst UK Transplant is thoroughly grateful for Sheffield¹s
contribution so far, there are still many more people in
Sheffield who are not on the register. I hope we can count
on more people to sign up in the future."
june 2004
October 02, 2006 
