NNUH marks Organ Donation Week 2022

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is proud to support Organ Donation Week 2022.

The main hospital site will be lit up on Monday 26 September for the whole week and members of the Organ Donor Team will be at NNUH on Monday 26 September to talk to members of the public and staff about organ donation.
Norwich Castle will also be lit up on Monday and members of the Organ Donation Team will be in the area to talk to people about organ donation and encouraging those important conversations.

Among them will be 11-year-old Lucy Hornby, from North Walsham, who lost her father Andy in a fatal cycling accident in 2021. She will be with her mother Charlotte who is a member of staff at the NNUH. Charlotte and Lucy supported Andy’s wish to help save the lives of others following his death.

Natalie Ashley, NNUH Specialist Organ Donor Nurse, said: “We have the privilege of meeting some of the most incredible families, who have made the selfless decision to support their loved ones to help save and improve the lives of others through the gift of organ donation.”

This year the NNUH Organ Donation Team kick off the national awareness week by joining the Gorleston Cliffs Park Run on Saturday 24 September.

Natalie said: “We last joined the run in September 2019 and are returning this year, with the aim of seeing a sea of pink shirts running or walking along the sea front route to raise awareness about how important it is to have the organ donation conversation with your loved ones.” 

They are also calling for colleagues to take up a national initiative called Race for Recipients,  which encourages each hospital to travel 7,000km through running, walking, cycling, swimming and any other exercise. This represents the 7,000 people currently waiting for a life-saving transplant. 

NNUH Chief Nurse, Professor Nancy Fontaine said: “We save hundreds of lives every year through organ donation and we cannot do that without you. We are incredibly grateful for the hugely selfless act that families carry out by agreeing with their loved ones’ wishes to donate organs – and agreeing to that at such a challenging time.”

Last year 28 families at the NNUH said yes to supporting their loved one to donate following their death resulting in 17 individuals proceeding to donate. This meant 36 patients received a life-saving transplant.