Mother Catherine Meredith has moved with her daughter Sarah (31) from Totnes to Cambridge to be closer to Addenbrooke’s Hospital which is capable of performing a liver transplant should a donor organ become available.

Sarah was 28 when she went on the list.

She has Cystic Fibrosis and Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency disease, both of which are genetic and life limiting. 

Sarah is in constant pain and cannot work. 

Because of the NHSBT algorithm which was introduced to decide who gets livers for transplant she has waited 16 times as long as the average for those in their 60s, and has still not received a transplant. 

She has deteriorated hugely and this will affect her chances of a successful transplant.

A computer algorythm by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) was introduced in 2018 and means that younger people have to wait longer for a transplant. 

It prioritises people at higher risk of dying which in practice is older people. 

For the over 60s the average wait has fallen to 48 days but for those in their late 20s or 30’s it has gone up to 204 days. 

Younger people are being pushed to the back of the waiting list.

Catherine took up the story: ‘‘Sarah has been waiting two years on the transplant list and her life is in danger.

The system favours the elderly and in Sarah’s case she has a rare combination of conditions.

‘‘We have spoken to consultants who believe there is much wrong with the system but they daren’t speak out for fear of being penalised.’’ 

In 2022, 69 people died waiting for a transplant as there aren’t enough livers to go round.

Caroline added: ‘‘Families have to give consent and can overturn even an organ donor register sign up. Ridiculous! We are desperate for donor organs as there are two and a half times more people on the transplant list since Covid.’’

This year, Organ Donation Week will take place Monday, September 18, to Sunday, September 24.

They are aiming to get 25,000 more people to register to become organ donors. 

To achieve this, they need your help. 

Pink is the colour of the NHS Organ Donor Card, and so to raise awareness of the life-saving gift of organ donation, they want to turn as much of the world pink as possible.

During Organ Donation Week, you can help by:

Sharing your ‘pink’ pictures on social media and tagging them in at: #OrganDonationWeek 

Saturday, September 16, to Sunday, September 24, means Race for Recipients – an Organ Donation Week challenge in honour of our organ donors, their recipients and those waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Visit: https://raceforrecipients.com/

The event challenges you to celebrate organ donation; the gift of life, with organ donation teams and representatives around the country.

Encouraging people to use the NHS Organ Donor Register to confirm their organ donation decision

Sharing your own organ donation story @NHSOrganDonor To sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision.