Would you take an organ if you needed one?  Most of us would but only 31% of us have joined the online Organ Donor Register.  More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant.  Of these, 1,000 die each year – that is 3 a day.

Save5 is all about asking people to register online or to check that if they have already registered their personal details are up to date so that in the event of death, their organs and tissue can potentially be used to Save5 other lives.

What organs can be transplanted?

Kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and the small bowel can all be transplanted.

What is tissue donation?

Tissue donation is the gift of tissue such as skin, bone, tendons, cartilage, heart valves and corneas to help others.  

Bone, tendons and cartilage are used for reconstruction after an injury or during joint replacement surgery.  A bone transplant can prevent limb amputation in patients suffering from bone cancer. 

Heart valves are used to help children born with heart defects and adults with diseased or damaged valves. 

Skin grafts are used to treat people with severe burns.

Finally every year thousands of people with a severe eye disease or injury have their sight restored by donated corneas.