People in Bradford urged to talk about their wishes as Organ Donation Week begins

The call comes during Organ Donation Week, which begins today.

Next year, the law around organ donation is changing in England. From spring 2020, all adults in England will be considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they record a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.

In the lead up to the change in law, NHS Blood and Transplant is urging families across England to talk about their organ donation decision, with the campaign message ‘Pass it on’.

Even after the law has changed, families will continue to be approached before organ donation goes ahead. Knowing what their relative wanted helps families support their decision at a difficult time.

A recent survey of adults in England for NHS Blood and Transplant found that while 84 per cent agreed it was important to let those closest to you know your views on organ donation, only 40 per cent had shared their organ donation decision with their family or partner.

More and more families in Bradford are saying yes to organ donation but there is still an urgent shortage of donors. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is asking people in the city to tell their families they want to donate to help make sure more lives are saved.

Over 768,000 people in West Yorkshire are already on the national NHS Organ Donor Register, but people also need to tell their family they want to donate.

More than 250 patients across West Yorkshire are currently awaiting a transplant, and the need for donors from Asian and black backgrounds is particularly pressing in Bradford.

Last year at Bradford Royal Infirmary, nine people were able to donate their organs after their death, which resulted in patients receiving a life-saving or life-changing transplant.

Dr Andy Baker, the Trust's Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, said: “We need more people in Bradford to talk about organ donation to increase the number of lifesaving transplants.

“While most people agree that it is important to talk to their family about organ donation, it is less likely that they will have actually had this important conversation.

“Sadly, many opportunities are lost every year because families don’t know if their loved one wanted to be a donor or not. Please don’t wait. Speak to your family about organ donation today.”

"I celebrate because I got a second chance at life. If I hadn’t had the transplant I wouldn’t be here today."

Those are the words of Bradford woman Rehana Kosar, who has first-hand experience of how life-changing a transplant can be.

Her kidney problems started at a young age and she was constantly in and out of hospital as a child.

As a teenager, Rehana suffered from severe kidney infections, which led to regular hospital visits and a diagnosis by doctors of glomerulonephritis.

She lost her father, aged 55, in 1993 when he had a heart attack due to kidney failure following his kidney transplant.

Rehana started kidney dialysis three times a day in 2013, aged 40.

She had only been on dialysis for nine months when she got the call to say she could have a transplant.

"Every year I celebrate my kidney anniversary and I also never forget my donor’s family so I write them a letter to let them know I am doing really well. I also take cakes to work and to the renal team at St Luke’s," she said.

“I celebrate because I got a second chance at life. If I hadn’t had the transplant I wouldn’t be here today.

“I go on holidays, eat well, exercise and live life to the full.”

Today she encourages new patients when they start dialysis for the first time and talks to them about her journey waiting for a transplant and how it can help them.

Rehana has also spoken out about the stigma of organ donation in her community and is now campaigning for people to sign up to the organ donor register.

“God wanted me to have a healthy life and he provided me with this second chance," she said.

He wanted me to live that life and that’s why the south Asian community must get on board and join up and sign the register today. I'm here as a survivor and I want to share my story and make other people get better.”

"My life is on hold and I am just waiting on that call."

Raja Ahmed, 28, from Bradford, has been on dialysis at St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford, since February 2019, and has been on the transplant list since April this year as he suffers from glomerulonethritis.

He has been told there is no cure for his condition and he would need a transplant and would have to stay on haemodialysis until a transplant became available or until living donors come forward.

His two brothers said they will donate, but there is a strict vetting process and it takes a couple of months before compatibility is determined.

“I found it very hard to come to terms with needing a transplant," Raja said.

"I thought in my head that I was invincible and live forever, so it was huge, huge, shock.

"So many questions come into your mind. Transplantation and organ donation is a taboo subject within the Asian community. We don’t tend to talk about it. I know people who have waited for years and are still on dialysis.

“My life is on hold and I am just waiting on that call to say a transplant is available or that organ has arrived for me.

"It is like a waiting game. You go through so many emotions and feelings. There are always ways to cope but it is a rollercoaster of a ride and I want everyone to realise what it is like. But the most important message is to try and stay positive.”