Newham Council has pledged to help save lives by supporting Organ Donation Week from September 3 to 9.
The national NHS campaign is asking people to talk to their families about organ donation to increase the number of people whose lives can be saved or transformed by an organ transplant.
There are 55 people in Newham on the transplant waiting list in need of an organ. There are 56,780 residents already on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
People need to tell their family they want to donate. Families will always be approached about donation and knowing what their loved one wanted may support their decision at a difficult time.
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, pictured with Deputy Mayor Councillor Charlene McLean and Councillor Susan Masters, Cabinet member for health and adult social care, is no stranger to donating. In 2016 she gave some of her bone marrow to a young girl in need of a transplant. She said: “We need more people to talk about organ donation to increase the number of lifesaving transplants.
“Only 16.3% of adults in Newham have registered to donate organs in the event of their death. Sadly, many opportunities are lost every year because families don’t know if their loved one wanted to be a donor or not. We can change things because there is no better feeling than giving something that may save a life.
“I felt so proud and so privileged to have been able to help someone with my donation, but especially because it was a child with hopefully their whole life in front of them. I remember the operation being remarkably smooth and painless.”
Anthony Clarkson, Interim Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We are very grateful to Newham Council for its support during Organ Donation Week. Words save lives. Please, tell your family you want to save lives through organ donation, because it could be the difference between life and death for someone else.”
If you want to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, join at www.organdonation.nhs.uk