Every week Kevin publishes his very own “Kev’s Column” on line, this week he looks at the Bright Green Star Campaign.
It started with Green Stars being hung on the famous (or some would say infamous) Palm Tree that marks the entrance to the bay and had many wondering what it was all about as more appeared.
The mysterious Bright Green Star Man (@GreenStar961) was spotted across the bay fixing stars to places varying from Torquay Police Station to local businesses. In a costume worthy of a Marvel Comic Character it was all part of a “plot” that would be revealed at a large event held in Princess Gardens, Torquay.
Some guessed it may be to do with an arts project or event, others wondered if a new business was looking to promote itself. Yet the truth was much more special. The green stars were all aimed at increasing awareness of the need for more people to register their wish to be an Organ Donors.
This week is National Transplant Week and green is the colour used to promote awareness of organ donation. The stars represent organ donors, past, present and future, plus their families.
Organ Donation is literally the gift of life and at the Big Reveal on Wednesday the story of Lottie a full of life 3 year old was told. When she was born, Lottie was very ill and needed a liver transplant. Lottie had just weeks to live but on average livers only become available every 10 weeks in this country. Lottie was lucky and on day 15 became the youngest baby in the world to have a liver transplant.
More than 30 people have died in Devon in the last five years due to the shortage of organs for transplant. Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant say there are currently 168 people across our county waiting for a transplant. 445,414 Devonians are on the Organ Donation Register, but the majority of the population are not.
Organ Donation is a special and unique gift we can only make once our own life is at an end. This can mean a Doctor approaching relatives who have just been through the worst moment in their lives to ask if organs can be used for transplant. What makes this much easier is if your closest relatives know your wishes. In short Spelling Out to Them what should happen in the event anything happens to you.
It is natural that we all want to think of ourselves as immortal, but ultimately death is a part of life. When thinking about the future most make wills to ensure their property is distributed fairly and their loved ones are cared for, but not all think about the most precious gift they could leave behind, the gift of life itself.
I was a teenager when my Parents first spoke to me about this subject as they were rewriting their wills after my Grandfather’s death. Both felt it was important that I knew they wished to donate their organs. It seemed a passing conversation to a 13 year old, but I quickly realised the importance of what had been said. Knowing meant if something happened to them there would have been no agonising about the decision, just the task of indicating their wishes.
I registered as an Organ Donor when I first got my Driving Licence at 17 and whilst many of us only think about the end of our lives as we get older, Organ Donation spans the generations. It is therefore vital those of us in our teens, 20s, 30s and 40’s take time to Spell It Out to our closest relatives that we wish to make the gift of life when we no longer have the ability to say so ourselves.
Earlier this year I lost my Mum, knowing her wishes on everything from which hymns to play at the funeral to preferred burial arrangements made a very difficult time much easier. Whilst her battle with Cancer was ultimately lost the selfless generosity of blood donors helped her to keep up the fight for three years, ensuring she saw her Ruby Wedding Anniversary in November.
The Bright Green Star Man provided quite a few smiles and some fun moments across the bay over the last fortnight. If just one person becomes an Organ Donor as a result a bright new star will shine in the bay.
You can register your wish to be an Organ Donor now by clicking here and then taking a moment to let your relatives know. When there is nothing to worry about is the time to do it.