Heart Transplant Recipient: "We are losing people because they run out of time"
A Surrey heart transplant recipient is urging people to talk about organ donation with their loved ones.
A man from Surrey who received a heart transplant is urging people to talk about organ donation.
Today (September 22), is the start of Organ Donation week. Dave Webb, who had a heart transplant in 2019, says that this year it's more important than ever to talk about the topic.
The waiting list for an organ donation has risen to over 8,000 in total, with over 250 children, and the number of donors is falling.
Dave Webb says that due to the nature of the numbers, it's critical to have as many organ donors as possible.
"It's a question of numbers. Unfortunately it it is a a fact that only around 1% of people pass away in such a way that organ donation is possible.
By increasing the pool of of of potential donors, you actually increase the pool of of potential organs viable for transplant."
Dave also mentioned the bleak reality of the situation.
"We're living such an increasing list is that sadly some people just don't survive and we are losing people from the transplant list because they just run out of time.
That as a transplant recipient is difficult to to learn about because I've been so very fortunate to receive my my new heart."
Dave says that the only way to help the problem is that people talk about it with their loved ones, and this week provides a fantastic opportunity to do so.
"It's one week of the year where we really try and focus the public into thinking about it and talking about it, because that's the only way that we can achieve more transplants is if people are willing to donate their organs.
And the only way that they would be willing to do that is to find out more about the subject. So that's the main focus of the week.
More people to have that conversation at home, make their wishes known in order to try and bring that list down"