This week we are celebrating Organ Donation Week (23 - 29 September) and sharing some powerful stories with you about the impact of organ donation and the difference it can make.
Organ donation is when you decide to give an organ to save or transform the life of someone else.
You can donate some organs while you are alive, and this is called living organ donation. However, most organ and tissue donations come from people who have died.
We will be updating this page with new stories throughout the week. Find out more on the organ donation website.
Ellie - Non-directed altruistic donor
"The first time I heard that it was even possible to donate a kidney came from a link at the bottom of my local blood donation web page that I was randomly sent to by an email notification I didn’t even know I had signed up for. It was a fundraising event aimed at raising money for kidney disease research, and it came with many stories. Some about people on dialysis, some about people suffering from kidney failure and only a few about people who have received a kidney from a family member. I went down a rabbit hole and read all of them, and a quick Google search sent me to similar stories from around the country and the world.
"There was one story, however, were someone had donated to someone they didn’t even know. This person was on dialysis for years and no one from his family was able to donate, leaving him waiting for a deceased donor on the waiting list for years, if he was one of the lucky ones. That was until someone he didn’t know made a choice to donate their kidney, and luckily became the best match for him. I never knew this was a possibility, to donate to a stranger, and for a long time I couldn’t get this story out of my head.
"I never knew this was a possibility, to donate to a stranger, and for a long time I couldn’t get this story out of my head.
"Years later the thought came to me again after hearing another similar story. I decided I was in a place where I might be able to do something like this, so I contacted my local donor centre and things happened quickly from then.
"Throughout the process I was made aware or the possible risks of the procedure and how I may feel afterwards. It can be quite scary but knowing that most surgery can carry these risks, and that they are very rare was reassuring. I was made aware of my rights every time I saw my team and knowing I could press pause if things got too stressful, or even stop the process completely, made me feel extremely safe, and that even though all this was for someone else, I was still their patient.
"Knowing that I was completely healthy and someone else wasn’t, and all they needed was this one thing, and I was able to give that one thing, is what kept me pushing through the long process of tests and assessments. Knowing that this could be the only barrier between someone seeing the outside of a hospital again made the decision the easiest I’ve ever made.
"Getting the call that I was a match was a feeling I can’t really describe. It was relief and nervousness in way I haven’t felt before. Relief, as this meant I was finally able think of this as a real thing a not just and idea. Also nervous, as I put lots of pressure on myself to stay fit and healthy until surgery as someone I didn’t know was depending on that.
"As the surgery date was set, I was very calm but anxious, mostly because I’m not a huge fan of hospitals, but who is. I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew I would never know the person who would receive my kidney so my emotional response was limited to a nameless, faceless story, and even though this was still extremely impactful, it meant I was able to focus more on how I was feeling about the surgery.
"I was made to feel incredibly safe by everyone on the ward and on the surgical team. I wasn’t used to things being all about me but I was fussed over so much. Everyone wanted to make sure I was completely comfortable.
"I was checked up on multiple times during my recovery, making sure everything was progressing as normal, and everything was. I was discharged by the surgical team on my second month and passed to my donor team for all future check ups.
"I am now back to my regular routine and work as normal. My body has responded really well as if nothing has even happened at all, and it’s hard to believe one of my organs alive and well in someone else somewhere.
"I would definitely encourage more people to become aware kidney donation. If not to consider doing it, but to just talk about it. Raising awareness around kidney donation I hope would make it seems like something people just do, like donating blood or running a marathon, and not some huge life event that needs to be feared. And now as someone who has been through it I definitely don’t feel like I’ve lost anything at all."
Karen and Harry - donation / transplant
"Our journey started August 2023 during a camping holiday in the Scottish Highlands, when my partner took ill. He was admitted to hospital for a week and found out he had kidney failure. We were advised to end our holiday early and returned home with a referral to Salford Royal. A few weeks later it was confirmed he had chronic kidney failure and recommended he get worked up for a transplant. It was such a shock!
"Having donated blood for many years, also platelets a few times and on the bone marrow register, I knew, without question that I would donate a kidney! Thankfully I was a match for my partner! The testing continued and 26 July 2024 was our donation and transplant day.
"Even though it is early days, we are pleased to report our recovery is going well and “Sidney the Kidney” is doing well in her new home. If I had another kidney to give, I would definitely donate again.
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"Even though it is early days, we are pleased to report our recovery is going well and “Sidney the Kidney” is doing well in her new home. If I had another kidney to give, I would definitely donate again.
"If I wasn’t able to donate to my partner, I knew that I would donate into a paired scheme or to a complete stranger. The difference a transplant makes to the recipient is mind blowing! The improved skin colour, energy levels, and the reward of being able to lift the food and fluid restrictions is like seeing a child in a sweet shop! Our job now is to look after the kidney by keeping a healthy lifestyle, keeping hydrated, exercising and not to take anything for granted.
"Donating a kidney is a life changing experience. Not to us as donors but to the recipient. As a donor, we are screened and tested to make sure we are healthy enough to donate and receive regular checkups for life.
"Donating a kidney is a wonderful gift of life. Any regrets? Absolutely not! Thank you to all NHS staff who have been part of our care. You are all superheroes!"
Julian - living kidney recipient
"It may sound strange but when I was first faced with a life-or-death decision to have a life-saving kidney transplant - I wasn’t 100% on board.
"I was in my late-40s and had lived a full and wonderful life, so my first thought was just to accept my fate and not fight it. When you’re totally exhausted most of the time the last thing you can face is the upheaval of a major operation and all the future problems that may occur. And not to mention putting my husband through something so traumatic.
"It took a couple of years of contemplation, the love of a good man, and the dedication of an NHS nurse to convince me that my life was worth fighting for.
"And what a fight it was. Not a physical one like they tell you it will be, but an emotional and psychological one. It’s the one aspect that nobody explains to you, and even after the transplant has happened, it’s with you for life. Survivor guilt maybe? Or just the mind-blowing realisation that someone loves you enough to put their life on the line.
"And that’s all a transplant is about really, it’s just about the love. And when you finally accept your fate and walk through those hospital doors, you’ll be amazed at how much there is to go around."
Nigel's story - kidney donor
"My husband Julian had kidney disease when I met him thirteen years ago, he was at 50% function then and slowly over the years his function declined. Fast forward ten years and his function had declined to 15%, so it was time to think about a kidney donation. None of his family or friends were a match, but when I got tested, I was a match - it felt like a one in a million chance.
"The last ten years had been tough to watch the love of my life’s health decline, and as he got weaker and weaker it was so heartbreaking to experience, you feel completely helpless, especially the last couple of years, thinking he was going to die, was at times to much too bear.
"The last ten years had been tough to watch the love of my life’s health decline, and as he got weaker and weaker it was so heartbreaking to experience, you feel completely helpless, especially the last couple of years, thinking he was going to die, was at times to much too bear.
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"At first Julian was not too keen for me to donate my kidney as there are risks involved, but through talking about it and having honest and frank discussions with our amazing live donor nurse Claire we decided to go ahead.
"There was no question I couldn’t ask Claire and she was always there for me when I needed her. Having an NHS kidney nurse along the journey is a vital relationship, especially as she was proactive, straight talking, and honest. Oh, and she had fabulous hair too.
"After my decision to donate it took a further 18-months to get fit and lose the weight I needed to donate. My exercise regimen, which was really easy, I swam one mile a day every day and stopped eating my feelings with chocolate and biscuits. I lost the weight, got my function down to the level it needed to be, and looked like a supermodel at the same time - it was a win win! On 16 October 2023, we went into the Manchester Royal Infirmary and had our transplant.
"I was out of hospital three days later with some discomfort, but nine months on I’m back to normal and living my life without any major impact. My amazing husband Julian is back too - he’s swimming, walking, working, and living life to the full.
"If I had three kidneys, I’d do it all again - to save the life of someone you love is just incredible.
"Did I mention how fabulous Claire is!"
David's story - Non-directored altruistic living kidney donor
"I’m 74 and have just donated a kidney! The recipient was on dialysis and on the national waiting list. The recipient is a stranger to me, and probably will remain so.
"The background to my donation is my stepdaughter's need for a kidney. She only had one kidney which failed, and she was on dialysis. I was ready to donate my kidney and had been matched and was nearing the end of my tests when a deceased donor's kidney became available for her. Having been present at all of my stepdaughter’s dialysis and treatments it opened my eyes to the desperate needs of those on dialysis, hoping upon hope for a kidney.
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"Having been present at all of my stepdaughter’s dialysis and treatments it opened my eyes to the desperate needs of those on dialysis, hoping upon hope for a kidney.
"Therefore, with my eyes opened and my Catholic faith, I decided to help a stranger who would be matched to me. The operation is straightforward and entails a 2 or 3 day hospital stay. No drugs are needed except pain relief initially and maybe for a week afterwards. No further medication is needed and after a 4/6 week recovery period your life is back to normal, but the recipient’s life is changed immeasurably because of your kindness.
"If you are a person who likes to help others, then considering an altruistic kidney donation is highly recommended. Donations to a stranger are rarer than you might think, with only around 70 or so per year. With 70 million people in the UK, you would become 'One in a Million'."
Organ donation in 30 seconds
