Heart lung transplant has transformed my life, says Knebworth mum - now please give others a chance
Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland and heart lung transplant patient Kath Graham are adding their voices to the call for more organ donors - Credit: Archant
A woman whose life has been transformed thanks to heart and double lung transplant surgery is urging more people to join the organ donor register.
Kathryn Graham, who lives in Knebworth, kept fainting every few days, was breathless and could hardly walk.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypotension and spent two years on a waiting list, having intravenous medication round the clock before organs became available.
The mother-of-two said: “Apart from having to take a few tablets, my life is pretty normal again. My life has been transformed.”
The 53-year-old met Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland in Parliament to raise awareness of the need for more organ donors.
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She said there are about 7,000 people on the transplant waiting list in the UK, with about three a day dying because there are not enough organs available.
Kathryn said: “One of the key things is for people to discuss their plans for organ donation with their families.”
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Mr McPartland said: “I was shocked when she explained that only 5,490 people would be eligible to donate organs out of 570,000 deaths in the UK last year. That is less than one per cent of us who can, and more than four out of 10 of those families will not consent to donate their loved one’s organs.”
