Organ donation

Do it. There are no downsides. I’ve had nothing but good. My health is just as good now as it was before the op. I’ve got the immense satisfaction of thinking there’s someone somewhere who hasn’t got to spend probably, possibly every day or certainly several days a week attached to a machine.

It must be a huge change for her. I mean she’s probably had to, because, apparently people on dialysis they get their own little community so she’s lost her little dialysis community. But she was counselled and she obviously wanted to do it. So I think there’s someone somewhere that has, whose life I’ve changed, not permanently but for hopefully many years. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to think about and it puts a lot of other things into perspective. And nothing but good has come out of it.

And is there anything you would like to say to someone who is thinking about registering for organ donation but maybe isn’t sure?

Why not? I can see no reason not to do it. What possible reason could there be not to do it? You’re dead when it’s done, and just think of the difference it might make to somebody. We don’t need them when we’re gone. I mean it’s just waste, waste of such a valuable resource. It’s tragic, it’s absolutely tragic that organs are wasted every day that could change someone else’s life.
 

It’s nothing to be afraid of whatsoever, and in fact it’s a very, very powerful experience that kind of enriches you. You can’t put a price on what that is going to be, a price of words, on the help you’re doing another person. You’re almost giving a person a life. I don’t want to make it too big, but my friend now just lives an amazing life now again.

And I saw him just a few weeks ago in Greece. He’s just so well again. And he’s a big guy, a couple of metres tall and ah, I guess things like if, check your health is okay. But it’s almost like I feel like saying, “You can do it. You can do it.” Because it’s a big deal and yet it’s not a big deal. It’s a big deal, your life will be knocked sideways for a week. For a week, you’ll be knocked out. But you’re healthy. It’s not like you’re knocked out, you’re not well like you’ve got a disease or you’ve got cancer if you’re not well for a week. But you’re actually well so you’re body just comes back.
 

When you’re dead your organs are no good to anybody, to you. They’re buried or they’re burnt in cremation. So that’s the end of you. But you could save up to 9 people’s lives just by signing on the Organ Donor Register. And give 9 people back to their families. And that is a huge legacy for you to leave to your family. It’s hard times.

You know if something happens to you, and you’ve got your family around you. It’s very, very difficult. So you have to also make sure that they know of your wishes. But I know from stories I’ve read and articles I’ve read that where next of kin have agreed, yes, please help somebody else with their organs, they have never ever regretted it. They have been so pleased that some good has come out of their loved ones death. And saving several lives, what better gift could you give to anybody than giving someone their life back.

So I would say you have every reason to sign your name on that line. And please go ahead and do it and help save these people when the time comes.
 

I think there is information out there. And it’s just something I think that needs to be recognised in the Asian community a lot more now. I think maybe because it’s like the older generation or maybe they’re not that aware that this, something that can happen. I think I know from our religion, like a Sikh point of view, you’re helping somebody. That’s what they say, that everyone should help someone, but you’re helping somebody in their life. It’s something that you can do, so why not do that? It’s not like you’re doing something at the expense, but at the same time causing problems for yourself because I don’t think that anybody would allow that from an ethical point of view.

It would be nice if say schools and sixth forms or colleges actually get to meet people on dialysis, face to face; actually get to see them on a dialysis machine, hear their story, hear what their life is like, hear how awful their life is, hear their families, the carer’s and what their life is like. I think it would totally and utterly change so many peoples’ idea of what being on dialysis is like.

I know I feel ashamed now to think that, before I went into this, the only pictures I’ve seen are people on the special chair, hooked up, but with a big smile on their face, obviously for the camera. And you tend to think, “Oh well, they’re okay.” But they’re not, no way. And I think people, the youth of today are the organ donors of tomorrow.

And I think they need as much information now. And one day it could be them on that dialysis chair, wishing someone had signed the organ donor register. And if nobody ever signed the donor register, just think of the thousands and thousands and thousands of people that just needlessly would die every year when they could be saved. And it’s up to you, me, our friends to save these people. And we can do it so easily, so, so easily.
 

I think that the Human Tissue Authority was publishing a story about altruistic donation and they wanted to have somebody, a person, to give a voice to this rather otherwise slightly anonymous piece of information. And I was asked whether I would be happy to do so.

I think there are geographical reasons for it being me. I happened to be close to media centres so it was easy for journalists to get in touch with me. It was about, the right time had elapsed, so for all sorts of reasons I think my name was put forward. And at that stage there weren’t very many of us, as far as I’m aware. I think I was the 9th or 10th or something like that in the country. So it was fairly, we were a fairly small group of people.

But anyway, as I say, my name was mentioned and there was a bit of a media storm really. The surgery where I work got inundated with phone calls, and we got interviewed by newspapers, by TV and radio and all sorts of people heard me on the radio programmes up and down the country. So that was a bit bewildering actually. I’d not intended that it be publicised in any way. I wasn’t really very keen that lots of people knew.

But I suppose thinking about it afterwards, I mean particularly as it had gone for me straightforwardly, and I’d felt it was fundamentally I think quite a rewarding process for me. I mean I was, I would be keen for others to have the opportunity really, and those who are thinking about it to be encouraged to think about it very seriously. And to feel that they could go ahead and that it was a, you know, that it wasn’t a very strange or bizarre thing to do. And I’d like to put myself across as it were as a normal person who’s made a sensible rational decision. And that other people I’m sure, and I know because I’ve subsequently talked to others, feel the same way. So I just wanted that sort of, I was happy for that to be in a sense put in the public domain.