Doubledecker Bus Arrives To Support Lifesaving Campaign, UK
The 1962 doubledecker Donor Bus is supporting a mass maildrop by UK Transplant to almost five million households across the region. Deliveries of the My life, My gift leaflets began this week, providing basic facts about organ donation plus a simple Freepost form for those wanting to join the ODR.
The vehicle, owned and operated by charity Transplants in Mind, is visiting Newcastle, Darlington, Manchester and Warrington throughout this week to raise awareness of the My life, My gift campaign and provide people with another opportunity to join the ODR.
The Donor Bus will be stationed throughout the day at the following locations:
- Wednesday, 9 January - Newcastle, South Northumberland Street, outside Monument Hall
- Thursday, 10 January - Darlington, Market Square
- Friday, 11 January - Manchester city centre, Piccadilly Gardens
- Saturday, 12 January - Warrington, Bridge Street
Volunteers will be on board to answer questions from shoppers, visitors and passers-by and invite them to join the ODR.
Angie Burton, UK Transplant Marketing and Campaigns Manager, said: "The Donor Bus is a popular attraction wherever it goes, so it encourages people to visit it and find out about organ donation and transplantation. "We hope the bus's presence will prompt people to complete the My life, My gift leaflet when it drops through their letterbox - or they can take a break from their shopping trip and find out more about how joining the ODR can save lives."
TV duo Richard and Judy are also supporting the My life, My gift maildrop campaign across the North of England. Throughout January, 4.7 million homes in major towns and cities across the region will receive a copy of the leaflet.
To date, more than 14.9million people have joined the ODR, while last year more than 3,000 lives were saved or transformed by the gift of a donor including 1,503 people from the North of England.
Sadly though there is a desperate shortage of donors and in the North alone more than 2,300 people are currently registered for an organ transplant. Last year 122 people in the region died before getting that second chance a transplant could have given them, while many more face an agonising wait before an organ will be found.
For people wanting to find out more about organ donation and transplantation before making their decision, the leaflet contains details of a dedicated website (http://www.mylifemygift.org) and the Organ Donor Line (0845 60 60 400) - which can also be used to join the ODR.
Did you know?
1. The http://www.mylifemygift.org weblink contains regional information - including localised statistics and case studies relating to the North of England - for journalists. Further case studies from the region are available for interview by contacting the UK Transplant press office.
2. 2,287 people in the North of England currently need an organ transplant - 1,993 need a kidney transplant, 77 a liver, 91 a lung, 26 a heart and 3 a combined heart/lung.
3. The year April 06-March 07 saw 1,503 North of England residents receive an organ transplant - 222 received a kidney from a deceased donor, 133 received a kidney from a living donor, 86 a liver, 27 a combined kidney/pancreas, 30 a heart and 26 a lung. A further 600 people had their sight restored by a cornea transplant.
4. Unfortunately, over the same period, 122 people died while waiting for a transplant.
5. You are more likely to need a transplant than become a donor.
6. All the major religions support organ donation and many actively promote it.
7. Repeated surveys show that the majority of the public support organ donation.
8. A deceased donor can donate a heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver and can restore the sight of two people by donating their corneas. Donors can also give bone and tissue such as skin, heart valves and tendons. Skin grafts have helped people with severe burns and bone is used in orthopaedic surgery.
9. Black people are three times as likely as the general population to develop kidney failure, which can lead to the need for a transplant.
10. The need for organs in the Asian community is three to four times higher than that of the white community because conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, that can result in organ failure, occur more often in the Asian population.
11. The NHS Organ Donor Register is a confidential database operated by UK Transplant that contains the names of more than 14.9million individuals who wish to pass on the gift of life through organ donation after their death. This figure represents approximately 24% of the total UK population. The register can be accessed by authorised medical staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to establish an individual's wishes for donation.
12. More than 9,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant to save or dramatically improve their lives but the shortage of donors means that just 3,000 transplants can be performed each year. More than 400 patients die each year while waiting. (Although 7,556 people are currently actively registered for a transplant, up to 2,000 others are also on the waiting list but are temporarily suspended for a variety of reasons.)
13. UK Transplant is the NHS organisation responsible for matching and allocating donated organs. It is part of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), a Special Health Authority within the NHS that manages the National Blood Service, Bio Products Laboratory, and UK Transplant.
For more information about Transplants in Mind, visit http://www.transplantsinmind.org.uk.
Doubledecker Bus ajunge la Suport Lifesaving de campanie, Marea Britanie - Doubledecker Bus Arrives To Support Lifesaving Campaign, UK - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate