We never thought much about organ donation… until Kian’s liver & kidneys stopped working.

More than 10,500 people need an organ transplant in the UK but even children who are prioritised in the matching system still wait on average over 9 months for a kidney. Many die waiting for a suitable match, yet 72% of us have not signed up to allow our organs to be used when we pass away and no longer need them. This needs to change!

The photos below are of our feature children who have been saved by an organ donor; read their stories below.

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Donors Save Lives LogoThe Donors Save Lives website and cause is here to raise awareness of childhood transplantation. There is a chronic lack of organs for donation with some children waiting years or simply dying waiting for a new donor organ. We can help change this just by signing up to the UK Organ Donor Register.

Child Organ Recipients

KianRead about Kian’s shocking journey and every parent’s worst nightmare…

Kian was 5 weeks old when the health visitor, unsure about his poor feeding and persistent yellow appearance, suggested we have a check-up at our local hospital. We could not have known at that stage what was about to happen.

JadeJade’s life was saved by a last minute donor after heart failure as a newborn.

Jade was born with a serious heart defect. Read how a new heart has helped her survive…and thrive.

Child Donors

Rachel WardenOur 11 year old daughter chose to donate her organs…

Rachel Warden wanted to become an organ donor when she died. We can all learn something from her example.

Calvin LearyOur family made the choice of organ donation when my little boy, Calvin, died after a road accident in 2008. He was 11.

Calvin became an organ donor and changed the future for 5 people including 2 children.

Why is it so important you sign up?

The best form of treatment for children with severe irreversible kidney failure is kidney transplantation.  Although we aim to use a living relative to donate their kidney for the majority of our patients, this is not always practically possible.  Those remaining patients hopefully will receive kidney transplants from people who die but who had registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register.  Over the past ten years, the number of children on the waiting list for deceased donor kidney transplants has doubled, yet the number of children receiving them has almost halved, highlighting the importance of registering on the NHS Organ Donor Register. 

Dr Stephen Marks, MD, MSc, MRCP, DCH, FRCPCH
Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist and Clinical Lead for Renal Transplantation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK

Save a life now

Every one of us can make a big difference. By taking just 2 minutes to sign up to the organ donor register you could well save the life of a seriously ill child.
Click here or on the button to help.

Get Started

You still need to sign upAlready carry a donor card? You DO still need to sign the electronic register!
Concerns or questions? See the common issues and concerns page

Our Mission

We have a campaign target of adding 1000 people to the UK organ donor register. More broadly, our remit is to raise awareness of transplant issues in children.

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Facts & Figures

  • Today another 2 children will be diagnosed with liver disease. It has no cure other than transplant.
  • 96% of us would take an organ if required yet only 28% have signed up as a donor.
  • All the major religions in the UK support organ donation and there is no upper or lower age limit for joining the register.
  • Over the past ten years the number of children on the waiting list for deceased donor kidney transplants has doubled, yet the number of children receiving them has almost halved.

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