Patricia Carroll campaigned for the presumed consent system for organ donation
With 118 people in the county on the waiting list for an organ transplant, the NHS is encouraging people to talk so loved ones know what they want when they pass away.
This ensures more patients can receive the transplants they need.
Those in Essex join more than 6,000 people across the UK, including over 180 children also on the list.
Patricia Carroll, from Aveley, lost her 38-year-old daughter, Natalie, to organ failure on New Years Day in 2014.
Natalie was on the NHS Organ Donor Register and was able to donate her own heart valves, which helped saved the life of a girl.
Patricia then not only became an altruistic kidney donor herself but has campaigned to encourage people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register since.
She said: “After I lost Nat in 2014, I didn’t know what to do. Your a mum, just grieving. I knew I wanted to do something but for me, it was my way of keeping Natalie alive.
“I’ve witnessed what it’s like to see someone have a transplant, then go on to live a normal life so please think about it.
“Natalie had signed on the organ donor register, she told me about her wishes and we spoke about it all the time.”
Changes in the law, coming in to effect from Spring 2020, will see all adults in England considered an organ donor when they die unless they had recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.
Also referred to as an ‘opt out’ system, this was a change Patricia campaigned for.
Patricia said: “The changes in the law will mean more organs will become available and more lives will be saved.
“I think it’s very important that this Christmas, we’ve all got the opportunity to sit round the table with our loved ones and express our wishes.
“At the end of the day, it’s down to the families so we need to express our wishes and say ‘this is what I want to happen’ and for our families to actually fulfil them.”
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Christmas is an incredibly busy time of year, however away from the rush and bustle of preparing for the holiday it should also be a time for family and thinking of others.
“We are urging everyone in Essex to take a moment to think about the people who will spend their Christmas hoping for just one thing; a life saving organ transplant. ”
Three people die every day waiting for a transplant.
To register your decision, click here.
Tags: Thurrock, Aveley
