TRUE OR FALSE
From 3 to 9 September, we recognise Organ Donation Week. How much do you know about this life-saving decision?
1 It’s easy to become an organ donor. True False
2 If I become an organ donor, all my organs will be donated when I die. True False
3 There are more than just organs that I can donate. True False
4 Having a medical condition means I can’t be an organ donor.
True False
5 Organ donation is effective. True False 1. TRUE
Being an organ donor is entirely your choice and is very simple to do. All you have to do to become an organ donor is add your name to the NHS Organ Donor Register. It takes just a few minutes to fill out, and all you need is your name, contact information, and donation preferences. Go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk to sign up.
2. FALSE
You can choose which organs to donate. All you have to do is tick the appropriate boxes on the NHS Organ Donor Register and let your family and friends know what you’ve decided. Organs you do not wish to donate will not be taken.
3. TRUE
Most people who join the NHS Organ Donor Register choose to donate all their organs, however you can also choose to donate your tissues. These include your skin, bones, tendons, eyes, heart valves and arteries. Some of these, such as bone marrow, can be donated while you’re alive.
4. FALSE
Having a medical condition doesn’t always prevent you from becoming an organ donor. When you die, a doctor will decide whether all or some of your organs are suitable. There are only a few conditions that exclude you from donating organs – HIV, Creutzfeldt-jakob Disease (CJD), and cancer that has spread in the last year.
5. TRUE
According to the NHS, there are now 50,300 people alive today thanks to organ transplants. These include kidney, pancreas, liver, intestinal, and cardiothoracic transplants. Despite this, the UK still has one of the lowest consent rates. At any one time, around 7,000 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant, but due to a shortage of organs, up to 1,000 of these will die waiting.