Surrey heart transplant recipient asks people to make their wishes known this new year

As we start 2026, it is typically the season during which people make new year's resolutions and establish goals of things they want to accomplish

Dave Webb, from Walton-on-Thames, says people should make it a goal to have a conversation with their family regarding organ donation and to 'make their wishes known'

The current system is an opt-out system, however hundreds of potential organ donation opportunities are missed each year due to family members being unsure

Dave told us about why the message is so important right now

"I was talking last week on Auckland Donation Study Day and I discovered that the the the list has risen again, the number waiting on the list has risen again.

So the only way that list will be brought down is is if there are more viable organs donated."

He also explains why the need is for the pool of potential donors to be as big as possible

"Only 1% of people pass away in such a way that organ donation is viable. That's just a a a a medical statistic.

So obviously the more people who register their decision, the wider and the greater the the pool of potential donors can be."

Dave also says that it's very important people remember that this is obviously a free choice

"The message is constant. It's about making people understand what you want. No, of course you don't have to donate your organ. You don't have to do this. You know it's a free choice.

But it's removing the doubt is the key message because in a position where families don't know what's wanted, that's where the issue lies.

So if you feel that you know what your decision is, get it registered, but just have that conversation, firm it up with your family so that they know and they remove that element of doubt."

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