Art display at University Hospital shares stories from organ donors who helped to save multiple lives

Artwork highlighting the incredible gift of life given by organ donors has been unveiled at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

The storyboards, installed at University Hospital, Coventry, by the NHS Blood and Transplant specialist nursing team at UHCW, share stories from families that lost a loved one who had signed up to the NHS Organ Donation Register.

Revealed to coincide with Organ Donation Week (September 23-29), their purpose is to raise awareness and start conversations about the subject of organ donation.

One of the boards features a tribute from Naomi Rees-Issitt alongside a picture of her son Jamie, who died in January 2022 at the age of 18 following a cardiac arrest.

Jamie first signed the Organ Donation Register when he was 16. On the day he died he donated organs to five people, including a baby girl who was saved after receiving a liver transplant.

“I hope that people, particularly other teenagers, will read Jamie’s story and lives can be saved as a result,” said Naomi, who has since set up the OurJay Foundation which fundraises to install defibrillators across Rugby, Warwickshire and further afield.

“We get a lot of joy, especially at Christmas, in knowing that little girl’s parents are enjoying that special time with their child.

“The Organ Donation Team were the most amazing people and within an hour all five of Jamie’s organs had been matched.

“It made us feel that we had honoured what he wanted to do and granted his final wish, which was all we could do for him.”

The other board features Adrian Foster’s wife of 22 years Phillippa, who died in October 2022 aged 56 after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Four people received organs - a heart, liver and two kidneys - from the mother-of-two, a retired headteacher.

“We had a letter from one of the kidney recipients thanking us and that was emotional to read,” said Adrian.

“We know Phillippa would have been keen to help other people and we know it is life changing for those who receive the organs.

“It’s the hardest time to discuss something like organ donation, so the more people are aware of it the easier it is to have those conversations.

“My wife didn’t hold back, if she wanted to do something she just went and did it. Phillippa enjoyed her life, her message would be ‘get on with yours’.”

Since its creation in 1994, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to people agreeing to donate their organs after death via the NHS Organ Donor Register.

However, more people than ever before across the UK require a life-saving transplant, with 7,600 people on the active waiting list.

Dr Robert Green, Consultant in Anaesthetic and Critical Care Medicine and UHCW Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, said: "Donating an organ can mean the precious gift of life to a patient. It is the greatest and kindest gesture we can ever make.

“But we need to make our wishes known for when that incredibly difficult times comes and to help our loved ones make that decision.

"Having those conversations now is so important, it means we know what each of our wishes are when it matters. I urge everyone to take a moment this Organ Donation Week to register and confirm your decision.”

It is quick and easy to register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.