LAST year in the UK a record 3,086 people's lives were transformed by a transplant, but the need for organ donors has never been greater. More than 7,000 people in the UK are currently waiting for a transplant, and sadly around 400 people die every year while waiting.

Transplants are one of the most miraculous achievements of modern medicine, but they depend entirely on the generosity of donors and their families who are willing to make this life-saving gift to others.

About organ donation

Currently there is a shortage of organs donated for transplant and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is widening.

The government has a number of initiatives underway in an attempt to meet the shortfall in available organs, one of these relates to kidney donation and is known as the paired donor scheme'.

The scheme is where a donor and recipient pair (for example a couple or siblings) where one person wishes to donate a kidney to the other but are found to be incompatible, can be matched with another pair in the same situation.

What can be donated?

Kidney transplants are the most commonly performed. Transplants of the heart, liver and lungs are also regularly carried out and, as medicine advances, other vital organs including the pancreas and small bowel are also being used in transplants.

Tissue such as corneas, heart valves, skin and bone can also be donated. Cornea transplants are successful sight-saving operations.

You can choose whether you wish to donate any or specific organs when you sign up to the register. Anyone can be a donor and it's never too late, the oldest solid organ donor ever recorded in the UK was 84. The oldest recorded cornea donor was 103

Donation facts

Many relatives say that they have found some comfort in knowing that the loss of a loved one has given someone else the chance to live Sadly you are more likely to need a transplant than become a donor Did you know, in Greater Manchester: There are over 350 people currently actively waiting for a transplant Last year 25 people died whilst waiting for a transplant Last year there were 170 organ transplants and 93 cornea transplants Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust (which delivers renal care for Bury patients) has a dedicated Living Donor Co-ordinator whose role aims to increase the number of living donor transplants carried out and for this to be done in a seamless, supportive and efficient manner In Bury there are around 33,000 people registered on the UK Organ Donor Register - just 18 per cent of the local population.

Why do people need transplants?

There are a variety of reasons why people may need a transplant these include:

*Kidney - individuals waiting for a kidney transplant will suffer with kidney failure, common causes of kidney failure include inflammation of the kidney, diabetes mellitus, kidney stones, kidney cysts, various immune disorders and uncontrolled high blood pressure

*Heart - those needing a heart transplant will often have coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy (a heart disorder) and heart disease

*Liver - people waiting for liver transplants will often suffer from conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and cancer

*Lung - many people waiting for lung transplants have cystic fibrosis

*Pancreas - pancreas transplants are mainly for those suffering from diabetes

*Cornea - age-related conditions and damage caused by injury are common reasons for needing a cornea transplant

Talk about it

To decide whether or not you wish to give life to someone else after you have died is something very personal and it is important that everyone makes their own decision.

You can make a permanent record of your wishes by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Putting your name on the register makes it easier for the NHS to establish your wishes and for those closest to you in life to follow them.

It's very important to talk about organ donation and to make your friends and family aware of your wishes.

How to register as a donor

The NHS Organ Donor Register is a confidential, computerised database.

If you've not signed up you can do this online at www.uktransplant.org.uk Or by calling tel: 0845 60 60 400, lines open: 24 hours, 365 days a year

*NHS Organ Donation Register www.uktransplant.org.uk tel: 0845 60 60 400

*Transplant in Mind www.transplantsinmind.org.uk National Transplant Week July 7 - 14th

*NHS Direct www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk tel: 0845 46 47