It’s Organ Donation Week and people across Scotland are being urged to show their support by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

In Scotland, there are 4,345 people currently alive, thanks to organ donors and their families.

And as a nation, 45 per cent of people have already shared their decision to become an organ donor by joining the Register.

However, there are still people waiting on a life-saving transplant – over 580 in fact. That’s why we need everybody.

Quite simply, the more people that join the NHS Organ Donor Register, the more lives that can be saved.

Telling your family your organ donation decision is also important, as families are twice as likely to honour your choice if they know that’s what you would have wanted.

Callum Reid, 24, whose kidney transplant went ahead in October 2016 after he went into kidney failure aged just 17, has backed Organ Donation Week by sharing his story.

He said:

“Overnight, I went from being a healthy guy, playing football and training hard, to having a life ruled by kidney disease.

“I openly admit before I took unwell that I’d heard about organ donation but never realised its importance.

“Now, if I could give up everything I have to get someone a transplant, I’d do it. It’s great that Scotland is looking to move to an opt out system, but first and foremost people need to be on the Register and tell their family.

“I know how incredibly lucky I’ve been and I have so much to be thankful for, thanks to my donor.”

We Need Everybody to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Visit organdonationscotland.org today.