Gift of Life campaign beats target
The Gift of Life campaign, in partnership with the Sheffield Star, has smashed its target - with more than 28,000 people now signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Join the NHS Organ Donor Register
The life-saving campaign was launched in February and an ambitious target was set to add the names of 25,000 people to the NHS Organ Donor Register by Thursday August 7 – the start of the 31st Westfield Health British Transplant Games in Sheffield.
That target was reached ahead of the Games last month and the total number of sign ups is still increasing.
In South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire alone, hundreds of people are waiting for a new heart, liver, lung, kidney or pancreas to give them a chance of life. And thousands of people throughout the region have shown that they truly care by adding their names to the register and persuading friends, family members and colleagues to sign up.
Westfield Health Chairman Graham Moore said: "I would like to congratulate the Star and local people for meeting the challenge and showing their support for the amazing transplant patients who took part in the Games last month."
Tragically, a severe shortage of donor organs means that as many as one in three people on the waiting list are likely to die before having their life-saving operation. About 8,000 people are on the NHS waiting list at any one time and that figure is increasing annually by about eight per cent.
The total number of organ transplants last year was 3,087 and around 1,000 people died while waiting for a suitable heart, liver, kidney or lung.
Thousands of athletes competed at the Transplant Games to highlight the benefits of organ donation and to promote the register.
Editor of The Star Alan Powell added: "This is simply fantastic!
"I have always known that our readers would respond to good causes - and there are no better causes than this."
To find out how to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, call 0845 60 60 400 or visit www.uktransplant.org.uk to register online.
© Westfield Health Insurance 2012
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