Organ donation: “I’m happy we’ve had the talk”

Organ donation can save lives. Louise Blackmore, 33, has chosen to be an organ donor should she die in circumstances where she could donate – here’s how she shared this important decision with her loved ones.

“I’m pregnant with my first baby and getting married at the end of the year. My family is my world and I share everything with them. I really wanted them to know that I’d like to donate my organs should anything ever happen to me. 

“Expecting a baby has made me look at my life differently. Things that I would have perhaps glossed over or pushed to one side now seem even more important. My life choices affect more than just me, and talking about things such as what you’d like to happen when you die, is the responsible thing to do, rather than thinking it is morbid. I’d just hate to think of my friends and family struggling because they didn’t know what I wanted.

Organ donation was easy to talk about

“My fiancé is often away with work, so it’s sensible to know his decision about organ donation too. It would’ve been so easy to put off having that kind of chat, but we talked about it while watching TV one night so it didn't feel heavy or depressing. We didn’t even discuss it for that long. I told him and he told me – we’re on the same page with how we feel which made it easier.

“Thinking I could save a life and give someone more time with their own family makes it an easy decision for me. I even talked to my granny about it who’s now in her 80s. Before we chatted she had no idea that older people can be organ and tissue donors to save or improve a life – and now she’s registered her decision too. 

“I think it comforts her to know that we won’t be worrying about what to do when she’s not here. Because we've all talked about it now in my family we don't need to dwell on it. We're looking forward to the arrival of our new baby and enjoying life together.”

Whatever your organ donation decision, the best thing you can do is register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and talk to your friends and family – to give them the certainty they need to support it. Amazingly, 9 out of 10 families in the UK support organ donation going ahead when they know it’s what their loved one would have wanted.

In this video, families talk about how they had the conversation about organ donation - and why it’s so important to talk about your decision