THE GIFT OF LIFE

Pat Hall will never forget the October night fourteen years ago when she heard the news every mother dreads...

"I got a phone from my youngest son Andrew to say chat my eldest son Ian, 28, had been in a car accident and his injuries were critical. I was living in Bedfordshire at the time and the 200-mile dash to the hospital In Liverpool with my husband Colin was the longest journey of my life.

"Even though I hoped against hope Ian was alive, something told me he had died. It was almost three o'clock in the morning by the time we got to the hospital. Ian was on a life support machine and it was absolutely awful. When the surgeon cold me there was less than a five percent chance, even through my grief, I remembered Ian had carried a donor card since he was fourteen.

"But I was no longer his next of kin, he had a wife and a little baby of only six months. All I could think about was whether his wife would agree to the donation but the surgeon told me she had already given her consent. I know it sounds awful but it was the best thing I could have heard at that moment I was really in favour of it and I know Ian was. He was the kindest of people. He cared about people. He was just a giving sort of person. He was the one who asked to carry the donor card."

The true value of Ian's legacy was brought home to Pat when the transplant co-ordinator rang from the hospital to tell her that Ian's liver had helped to save the life of a four-year-old boy, a 46-year-old man had received his heart, a man of 42 had benefited from his kidney a 34-year-old woman was the recipient of Ian's other kidney and pancreas and his corneas were donated to an eye bank.

"Four years after Ian's death I decided to write to each recipient and tell them about my son – it just felt right. I gave the letters to the co-ordinators, the recipients were asked if they wanted to receive a letter from me and they all did? Pat was delighted to receive their responses. "Deborah (the 34-year-old woman) wrote and we talked over the phone and then we met two years later in 2000.

It was an emotional meeting for both women who have both campaigned tirelessly over since to promote organ donation. The national register for organ donation was established on the 7th Oct 1994, the day of Ian's accident. Pat points out that only 25% of the population are currently on the register and 7,655 people are awaiting transplants. Most importantly, those who carried a donor card before that date will not be on the database and need to register.

"There is no lower or upper age limit," Pat explains. "The oldest lady to donate was 106 – she donated her corneas.

"Since the law changed in 2004, if you are on the register, your wishes cannot be overruled – 95 percent of relatives who are asked say yes but unfortunately, only approximately fifty percent are ever asked. When I'm giving talks, nursing professionals call me they are nervous about approaching families about donation at a time when their loved ones are dying but I tell them. forget how nervous you are, forget everything, just ask the damn question because one 'yes' can save six people's lives. I've just heard my son's not going to survive, what worse news can I hear? The best I can hear is that he might be able to save somebody's life.

"If you sign on the donor register, you must tell your family and friends as they are normally the first line of contact. Them are no longer donor cards which I feel is wrong because a lot of people want something tangible to carry. I have hundreds of cards from the old donor forms and will give one to anyone who wants one.

"The government is trying to get a bill out now which means everybody is automatically put on the register and you have to opt out. But I believe that's wrong. I believe it's a gift of life and I believe it's your gift to give and that means it's your right to put yourself on the register. I don't believe anybody has the right to put you on a register. Although I am passionate about organ donation, recipients are more likely to accept a gift that's been given."

Pat has formed The Roy Pitman Society which has been set up to bring whether the promotion, information and education of all types of donation, not only organs, but blood, bone marrow and tissue for the furtherance of life.

"Roy was a colonel in the army and he was a liver recipient. He formed the Addenbrooke's Liver Patients' Association and ran it for fifteen years. He and his wife were members of The British Organ Donor Society with me. Roy died two years ago so last year when I wanted to form the society I asked his wife if I could name it after him. Ian's daughter is fourteen so I felt it would have been too intrusive on her life to do it in my son's name.

"This unique society is aimed at the general public, young people and nursing professionals. It is unique in the fact that although each in the past has been promoted separately it is now widely accepted that donation in all forms must be promoted in its entirety in order to have an effect on public awareness. The aim of the society is to enable each and everybody to make informed and educated decisions."

Pat cites close associates who have benefited from transplants. "My friend Carol had her kidney transplant 35 years ago. One of our trustees, Chris Spillman gave his son a kidney about six years ago. One of our other trustees, Mike Sharpe, is the deputy lord mayor of Birmingham. Mike was lord mayor last year and he hosted the big Birmingham Donor Day with myself and Jasper Carrott. Jasper's wife gave their daughter a kidney ten years ago. Mike got a kidney from his wife last November." Pat also gives talks to promote awareness. "I just talk to them about Ian. I talk about when he was fourteen and he asked me if he could be a donor."

She is currently fundraising to put together a schools programme. "At the moment the government have a programme for fourteen to sixteen-year-olds. It's a standalone programme so when schools want the programme, they get an information pack and they have to implement it themselves in the schools.

"But that age group is busy with exams and I think the time to do it is eleven to thirteen-year-olds. They talk about smoking, drugs and sex to that age group. Why not about donation as a whole, anything that can be given to save life with no cost to yourself. It costs about £5,000 to equip one presenter. We will have all the equipment and all we are asking is for schools to let us in or for schools to bring the children to a venue.

"The donation of organs, blood and bone marrow is the most altruistic gift you can give. Very few of us have a chance to change life for the better and this is one way you can do it, either when you're alive by either giving blood, or by being a bone marrow donor which you can do through the blood donor service and also the Anthony Nolan Trust. As a live donor, YOU can also give a kidney and you can be a live donor for liver as well as kidney now.

"Last January I campaigned to get 2007 people on the register in a week. The campaign was organised by South Ribble Borough Council working in partnership with BODY (British Organ Donor Society). Everton FC boss David Moyes accepted the invitation to join the Mayor of South Ribble, Councillor Dave Watts, to be one of the first to sign up to the register.

"We went round colleges, we went to Sainsbury's ... I'll stand anywhere for any length of time to promote organ donation!

"I also went to Runshaw College. One of the sixteen-year-old girls signed on to the register and she kept bringing her friends. She was saying to people if you needed an organ. if you needed a transplant, you'd say yes. You can't say yes to receive and no to donate. Every time each one signed on the register she said 'Now don't you feel good about yourself?' That summed it all up for me.

"People underestimate young people's powers of perception and their powers of giving. I did fresher week at Manchester University and had thousands of young people willing to sign on the register."

Pat also recalls meeting Robert Walker, head of Art at Bradford College. "He told me had a donor card from the 1980s but I explained he wouldn't be on the register. Robert then became involved with the campaign and is holding an exhibition of eighty of his paintings on the 10th and 11th of October at Worden Arts Centre in LeyIand, Lancashire and we desperately need sponsors. One of his paintings is of the orchid which is our symbol. He's given it to us to auction and to use on all our merchandising. Robert's patron, Amanda Hartington the Duchess of Devonshire will be there, together with David Moyes and Ian Kelsey our patron and also Dr Graeme Alexander from Addenbrooke's. We hope to have stars coming out of our ears!"

Pat explains why publicising the cause means so much to her...

"When Ian died, it was devastating but the fact that he gave life to other people is of great comfort. I don't believe that my son lives on in these people. I believe that these people live on because of Ian, because of the gift of life that he gave. People can make the world a better place just by thinking about other people and he did. I'll be proud of him for the rest of my life.

"I'll always carry on campaigning but I can't do it without funding and I can't do it without support."

Text: Hillary Bowman, 2008

Since I April 2008:

• 143 people have donated organs
• an additional 302 people have donated corneas
• 416 people have received the gift of sight
• 440 people have received transplants
• 7,703 people are still waiting for transplants

You can also tick the box on the back of your driving licence to indicate that you want to be a donor.

Do remember if you sign on any register the most important thing is to tell your family.

Donor line is 0845 60 60 400 or you can register on the website: www.uktransplant.co.uk

Contact:

Pat Hall
The Roy Pitman Society
1 The Elms, Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley PR6 7TU

Telephone: 01772 316088; Mobile: 07970357458.