NHS "Christmas List" organ donation campaign launched

In Berkshire there are currently 70 people awaiting an organ transplant. According to latest figures 24 patients died in the county while waiting for a transplant in the past five years, and 48 patients have received these vital organs in time for Christmas this year.
Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation Sally Johnson said: “Every year thousands of patients on the waiting list in Berkshire and around the country have a Christmas clouded with anxiety and uncertainty.
“Some severely ill people might spend the whole of Christmas in hospital, just hoping they get a life-saving transplant. While for others, their condition man mean they can’t enjoy Christmas traditions like the rest of us. For example, people waiting for a kidney transplant may not be able to enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner because eating the wrong food may make them more unwell.
“Quite simply, there is a shortage of donated organs but if more families agreed to donate a loved one’s organs, more people would get the transplants they need.
“So when you are spending time with your loved ones this Christmas, please take a few minutes to sign the Organ Donor Register, and tell your family you’d be proud to become a donor. By telling those closest to you that you want to donate you will remove the burden of them having to guess what you would have wanted at a difficult time.”
Anybody interesting in joining the Organ Donor register can visit

or call 0300 123 23 23.