Leaving A Legacy of Life
This week is a chance to celebrate and raise the profile of something that has saved countless lives around the world - Organ Donation.
In the UK alone, the current number of people awaiting donation sits at 7717 and this is continuing to rise. Whilst a lot of cases require the loss of someone to be able to offer this incredible gift, and this is not something any of us want to consider, the conversation is an important one to have to ensure that the wishes of a loved one are fulfilled in the event that something does happen.
In 2020 the UK government changed the law around organ donation in the hope that it would help more people to receive much needed organs. Rather than an opt in system, it became an opt out system. Unless you fell into one of the excluded groups or opted out, you were considered to have agreed to donation when you die.
This small change has actually made it much easier for families who are unsure of their loved ones wishes, contributing to a rise in the amount of donations being made. This was quite literally a lifechanging move, but in reality, what is donation all about and why is it something we should all seriously consider?
Keira Ball was a loving and caring young girl who sadly passed away after a road traffic accident.
Dad Joe says: “Keira was a wonderful sister. She had two older sisters as well as a younger brother and if they were ever squabbling over the last sweets she would always give her last ones away. She was the most thoughtful little girl.”
Joe recalls being approached about organ donation: “It wasn’t something I had thought much about, especially for your children, but I felt it was the right thing for Keira."
"She had the kindest heart... I knew she would have wanted to help make other people better."
(Joe, Keira's dad)
Through her donation Keira was able to help four people. Her kidneys went to adults, her liver went to a baby and her heart went to a young boy,?Max,?who was nine at the time. Joe and his wife Loanna received a thank you letter from Max, and the families exchanged cards before finally meeting up.
Joe adds...
"Keira lives on in Max and the other people that she helped and we are super proud of her."
Keira’s parents, Joe and Loanna, set up a charity called?Inspired by Keira.
Says Loanna: “If a family loses a child in a tragic accident then we are here to support those who the Angel has left behind. We also promote and fully support organ donation, we never know who it could be in need of an organ one day.”
Max received a life-saving heart transplant aged nine.
He was on the waiting list for eight months after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy; a disease of the heart muscle. Following the diagnosis, Max’s parents were devastated.
Dad Paul?recalls: “It was absolutely awful being told Max would need a heart transplant. The wait was agonising; as a parent you are desperately looking for reassurance from the medics but with organ donation it’s the one thing they can’t give you.”
Throughout his wait Max decided to share his story and support a campaign in favour of an opt-out system for organ donation.
Dad Paul says: “Max met several children whose wait for a transplant was sadly too long. He wanted to help and be part of something that could stop it happening.”
Max’s gift of life came from a young girl?named Keira,?who passed away aged just nine years old. Her parents made the selfless decision to help others through their own tragedy.
"The gift Keira gave will be remembered by our family forever"
(Emma, Max's mum)
As Max recovered he continued to campaign.?He became a key voice in raising awareness of the need for more families to consent to organ donation. In 2018 the government announced that the law around organ donation would be changing and would be commonly referred to as Max’s Law, in recognition of all the campaigning Max and his family have done.
Max announced he wanted Keira’s name to be added.
The Bill received Royal Assent on 15 March 2019 and Max and Keira’s Law?was enacted in England?from 20 May 2020.
These are just two of some absolutely incredible stories online and having taken the time to read some of them, whilst they are very distressing, they are also incredibly inspiring. Its devastating that a family lost their child, but Keira has gone on to save the life of four other people.
What an incredible legacy to leave behind.
When it comes to organ donation, the process is very simple. As per Max and Keira's law, from 18, unless you are on the exclusion list, you are already on the register. From there, you make the decision whether you would like to opt-out or stay opted in.
Organ donation is always your choice and your feelings will never be ignored.
At any time, your choice can be changed or withdrawn if you are no longer comfortable with it. Even when you are gone, a specialist donor nurse will sit down and discuss what you want with your family before any action is taken.
For this reason, it helps massively to have an open and honest conversation with them so they are aware of your wishes, but if you don't have the option of discussing what you would like with family, you can also nominate a representative. This could be anyone from a friend to your GP or religious leader.
Nobody should ever feel forced to do this, but understanding the huge impact that choice can have on the lives of those who live with the terrifying reality of needing a new organ is certainly something to consider.
Over the next few days, we are going to look at some of the stories. We can talk about it till we are blue in the face, but the reality is, the survivors of transplant surgery are the ones who should be telling their stories.
For further details on donation or to register, check out www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Be the miracle that changes someone else's story and leaves a legacy of living.
Rebecca Reece