With only a small chance of survival, Louise Prashad says another family’s decision to go through with organ donation meant the 22-year-old gained a second chance at life while she was 37 weeks pregnant with twins. After new research finds organ donation consent rates are dropping, Louise is backing a new drive asking people to leave a “lasting legacy”.
After her liver went into failure, Louise received another from 52-year-old Sarah, who saved a total of nine people through successful organ transplants.
“I’m only here today because 10 years ago, one family supported organ donation during the worst moment of their lives and their decision gave me the greatest gift imaginable,” Louise, now 33, says.
According to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), 1,132 patients are waiting for a transplant in Yorkshire and the North East, with national family consent rates for organ donation dropping.
New NHSBT figures found 57% of families agreed to their loved ones donating their organs this year, compared to 69% five years ago.
“Families are approached for this decision at the most devastating moment of their lives and uncertainty can make an already impossible situation harder,” Louise, from Easingwold, North Yorkshire, explains.
“These are really difficult conversations, and I think if we break the very British taboo around talking about death we can make organ donation a normal family conversation rather than something people only face in a crisis.”
