"Don't give up hope", says 29-year-old with two organ transplants
The waiting list for a transplant is higher than ever before, with 520 patients in the East of England waiting for a lifesaving organ
Last updated 26th Sep 2024
Tom Pinnock has had two organ transplants at the age of 29, heart and kidney - and tells us those on the waiting list not to "give up hope" as it's the "biggest strength" you can have.
Since the creation of the NHS Organ Donor Register in 1994, more than 100,000 people in the UK had their lives saved by an organ transplant, including more than 10,000 people in the East of England.
However, the waiting list for a transplant in the UK is higher than ever before, with 520 patients in the region still actively waiting for a lifesaving organ.
Mr Pinnock told us his life "turned upside down" when he had a heart attack at 26-years-old.
He was in a coma for 39 days and told us he had to learn to 'talk, eat and drink again'.
Mr Pinnock was placed on the 'urgent list' for a heart transplant and received a new heart in 6 days.
However he told us "the new heart didn't take to my body; it didn't start.'
"I ended up in a 39 day coma with 46 days on life support. There were various complications including my kidneys failing, a bleed on my brain and my right lung completely crushed upon itself.
"When I woke up, as you can imagine, I suffered from extreme PTSD and other mental health conditions."
Because of his kidney failure, Mr Pinnock then had to go on dialysis in the Princess Alexander hospital in Harlow as he waited for a kidney transplant.
"I was given a 5% chance to live but someone else's bravery gave me a life to go live, and gave my daughter a Dad."
"Hope that there are selfless people out there is the greatest strength to get through something like that."
In the East of England last year, 363 patients received a lifesaving transplant from a deceased donor and 168 residents donated their organs after death.
NHS Blood and Transplant currently estimate that up to 11,000 people in the UK are now in need of transplant.
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, at NHS Blood and Transplant, says:
“Every day across the UK there are thousands of patients and their families, waiting for that all important life-saving call. Yet, this is often only possible as a result of another family receiving some of the hardest news they might ever have to hear.
“The change in the law now means that it’s assumed that when someone dies in circumstances where they could be a donor, that they agree to donate if they haven’t officially opted out. However, no-one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. You still need to confirm your own decision and your family will still be consulted before donation goes ahead and will be expected to support your decision.
“It’s more important than ever to register your organ donation decision and make it known to your family.”