Desborough Mum’s Plea As Organ Donation Week Begins

A Desborough Mum is urging people to talk to their families as Organ Donation Week begins.

Gemma Jolly, 45, has had three liver transplants since 2016, after being diagnosed with a condition where her immune system attacks her liver cells.

There is now an opt-out system for organ donation, meaning adults are considered to have no objection, although families still have the final say.

Gemma with transplant surgeon Prof Thamara Perera who carried out all of her transplants

There are around 7,000 people on the UK Transplant Waiting List and sadly over 430 people died last year while waiting for a transplant.

Gemma, who is married to Mike and has two children, George and Harrison, was on the transplant list for a year-a-half before receiving the first kidney and is working with Kettering General Hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee to spread awareness.

She spoke to HFM at the start of the national awareness week about what it was like being on the waiting list and the importance of people discussing their wishes with loved ones:

Gemma with husband Mike at a fundraising event for Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

You can register your decision to donate today at www.organdonation.nhs.uk.