ORGAN DONATION WEEK: 3rd – 9th SEPTEMBER
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick MSP met Kathryn Hand, who underwent islet cell transplantation in December 2016, to mark the start of Organ Donation Week.
Kathryn, 51 from Kirkcaldy, is one of 51 type 1 diabetes patients who have benefited from islet therapy, since the first ever islet transplant took place in 2011 at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The transplant, which involves extracting islet cells from a donor pancreas and implanting them into a patient’s liver, can be successful in restoring hypoglycemic awareness and reducing dependence on insulin, leading to life-changing results for patients.
Throughout Organ Donation Week (3 – 9 September), the ways in which organ donation has transformed lives will be highlighted in a bid to encourage people to consider joining the NHS Organ Donor Register, and share their decision with their family.
Continuing to increase registrations is vital, as less than one per cent of deaths in Scotland happen in circumstances where the person is actually able to donate their organs.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “It’s vital we continue to raise importance of the need for families to talk about organ and tissue donation. Not only is it life-saving, but as Kathryn’s story highlights, it can be life-changing.
“Making your organ decision known can transform up to seven lives, and many more if tissue is donated.
“We should be proud that half the nation has shown their support for organ donation by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. ImageIntranet2.jpg
“But with over 550 people still waiting due to a shortage of organs, there’s more we can do. If you support organ donation, help us make this Week count by considering joining the Register and having that important discussion with loved ones.”
Kathryn who lived with Type 1 diabetes for 38 years said: “The islet transplant has completely transformed my life. The complications of my diabetes were so severe I had to test my blood glucose up to 15 times a day.
“I also had no awareness of when I was going to go into hypoglycaemia which was a constant worry. It affected not only me but my husband too. He was terrified leaving me alone for long periods of time, especially when he was working night shift.
“Since the transplant, that daily worry about my blood sugar dropping or the amount of insulin I have to take has gone, which is just incredible. Organ and tissue donation is the ultimate gift and I’ll never stop being grateful to the person who made the normality I now have possible.”
https://youtu.be/qNPFQIanggE
Mr John Casey, Clinical Adviser for Organ Transplantation in Scotland, said: “This is an important step in the treatment of diabetes in Scotland. Islet transplantation has the potential to transform and improve the lives of patients with type 1 diabetes and their families.
“We need more people to sign up to the NHS organ donor register so that more lives can be saved and turned around.”
To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, visit weneedeverybody.org
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