Buildings run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) will be lit up in pink from Monday (7 September) to show support for national Organ Donation Week.
The awareness week, which runs until Sunday (13 September), will shine a light on the generosity of donors and the impact they have on transplant recipients, while also educating, informing and inspiring people to help save lives.
This year’s event comes following a change to the law in England in May, which saw an ‘opt out’ system introduced to help save and improve more lives. This means that everyone is considered to have agreed to donating their organs after their death, unless they are in an excluded group or have recorded that they do not wish to be a donor on the NHS Organ Donor Register, or by speaking to family and friends.
Lisa Andrews, specialist nurse for organ donation, said: “There are currently more than 6,000 people on the UK transplant waiting list, with 31 of those in Suffolk and 69 in Essex. Although the law has now changed with the aim of helping to save more lives, sadly around three people still die each day while they wait for a new organ.
“As ESNEFT, we are using Organ Donation Week to remind people of the importance of talking to their friends and families about their wishes while raising awareness of the huge difference which donating your organs can make. One organ donor can save or transform the lives of up to nine people, with corneas, the heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, tissues or bones all able to help others.
“In 2018/19, 21 people in Suffolk and 42 in Essex gave the gift of life by donating their organs after death, while 41 people in Suffolk and 108 people in Essex received a transplant. This is proof that organ donation really can transform lives – so please do take a moment to check the register and make sure your decision is recorded.”
To record your organ donation decision, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.
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