Buildings have been illuminated in pink across the county to raise awareness of the incredible gift of organ donation made by so many and to encourage people to talk to their next of kin and record their decision on the register.
Three landmarks including Carn Brea Castle, Truro Cathedral and St Michaels Mount were lit up pink in support of the campaign and raise awareness of organ donation.
There are currently 54 people living in Cornwall and on the waiting list for a transplant. In 23/24 there were 29 donors in the county, both living and deceased. More than 7,600 people are actively waiting for a life-saving transplant across the UK, so it’s vital that people to confirm their organ donation decision and leave their loved ones certain of their choices should the time come for Organ Donation to be discussed.
This year the NHS Organ Donor Register celebrates its 30th birthday. The Organ Donor Register was set up in 1994 to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate. It was the result of a five-year campaign by John and Rosemary Cox whose son Peter died in 1989. He had asked for his organs to be used to help others.
Consent for organ donation across the whole of the UK has fallen to 61%, so we need more people to support the decisions of their loved ones and agree to donation. Research has shown that 9 out of 10 families will support organ donation if their loved one had confirmed their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Sarah Jarvis, Consultant and Clinical Lead for Organ Donation at the Royal Cornwall Hospital said “thank you to all those families across Cornwall who have helped their loved ones, in a time of enormous sadness, give the gift of life through organ donation. To all those who have been able to leave their next of kin and families certain of their choices and register their decision on the organ donor register. It shows the generosity and true heart of the Cornish people that this county has one of the highest rates of registration to donate in the UK. This week is about raising awareness, getting people talking about donation and honouring those donors living and deceased who have saved and changed the lives of children's and adults across the UK. The waiting lists are long and so this week is also about remembering those people who are still hoping for their chance to live a healthy life and as a nation we can do that by registering our decisions and helping our families support our choice to give, should the worst happen.”