This Organ Donation Week, St John Ambulance Cymru is proud to stand alongside NHS Blood and Transplant in encouraging people across Wales to register their organ donation decision and talk to their loved ones about it – and to pay tribute to the donors and families who have already given the gift of life.
Every year, St John Ambulance Cymru supports the Organ Donor Awards, honouring individuals who have given the priceless gift of life through organ donation.
The awards are held throughout the UK and are run by the regional St John Priories in conjunction with their partner Organ Donation Team, who are part of NHS Blood and Transplant. The Welsh Organ Donor Awards are run by the Priory for Wales, St John Ambulance Cymru in conjunction with the South Wales Organ Donation Team for the last thirteen years.
The awards were created to recognise the selfless contribution that organ donors and their families have made to help others. The award, in the form of a small brooch pin and citation, is given to the family of the donor, to honour their loved one.
Richard J Paskell MBE KStJ, the ‘Priory for Wales Order Officer’ said “It is a privilege to be involved with these awards, it is a truly moving and humbling experience. To be able to meet and thank the families, friends and loved ones of donors who have had to make the most difficult of decisions at the most trying of times in their lives. It is a demonstration of strength, courage and a true selfless act of generosity.”
Why your decision matters
More than 8,500 people across the UK are currently waiting for a transplant, and the number on the waiting list is as high as it has ever been. Organ Donation Week is about turning the public’s support for organ donation into action.
In Wales, the law on organ donation is based on deemed consent, but families are always involved in the conversation and play a vital part in making sure their loved one’s wishes are honoured. That is why the families recognised through these awards matter so much, and why one conversation at home can make all the difference.
It takes just two simple steps: record your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, and tell your family what you have decided.
The motto of the Order of St John is Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum which translates to ‘For the Faith and in the Service of Humanity’. The Organ Donor Awards honour those who have made the ultimate service to humanity, by giving others the gift of hope.
To register or update your organ donation decision, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk.
If you’d like to find out more about the Order of St John and the work of Wales’ leading first aid charity St John Ambulance Cymru, please visit www.sjacymru.org.uk.