PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka’s life was saved after a heart transplant. He wants more people to be given the same opportunity.
After having a transplant last December, organ donation is a subject very close to my new heart.
While Wales and Scotland have changed how their donor registers work, so you have to actively choose to opt out rather than opt in, there is no such change planned in England.
The Daily Mirror is currently campaigning to make it UK-wide and it is no real surprise that I support it. But it is something we should all care about.
I first developed a heart problem in 2010 after picking up a virus from my dog. You just don’t know when something like that is going to strike.
I believe the case is unarguable. You only have to look at some of the figures.
One thousand people every year die waiting for an organ transplant. Of around 10,000 who need a donor, 200 are children.
In Wales, the number of life-saving transplants increased by a third after the changeover.
The chances of an organ being usable and suitable are already very small. An opt-out system, sometimes called “presumed consent”, can literally mean the difference between life and death.
I was lucky, I have been given the gift of life – a debt I will never be able to repay.
I want as many people as possible to have the same chance as me. Please spread the word and support the campaign.
Find out more about the Daily Mirror's Change the Law for Life Campaign.
For more information about becoming an organ donor, please visit the NHS donor website.
