Each of them is a hero – and there is more now than ever before.
Organ donors selflessly transform their own tragedy into a chance for someone else to live, and over the past year, across the Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Durham County, 53 people transmitted vital organs after their death.
Nationally, NHS Blood and Transplant figures show the highest number of deceased organ donors last year, with 1,574 people giving up their organs after their deaths.
The number of donors has increased rapidly in recent years, with 77% in Durham County over the past decade.
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Evie with his father Simon and his older sister Amelia
This is because one of these 1,574 heroes transmitted a liver rescue to their daughter, Evie, two years old.
Evie suffered liver damage following a rare genetic disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency.
And last year, the doctors told Simon and Karly that their little girl would not survive without a transplant. after his liver transplant "content =" https://i2-prod.chroniclelive.co.uk/incoming/article14296114.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/45f0241e-e293-4fa8-93dd-38146e37e243JPG.jpg "/>
Evie Owens at the hospital after her liver transplant
After waiting until she grows up before the operation, the brave little girl has only spent one year week on the waiting list, before undergoing a split liver transplant in February
This meant that the 33-year-old anonymous donor could have saved two lives with a single organ, part of the liver having gone to Evie and another party to someone else in need
. Longbenton, thrilled by rising donations, says he hopes the trend will continue
Remembering the moment she found out that her granddaughter was getting the body she needed, Karly, 30 years ago, said: I was on the Moon, when I received the phone call, I could not believe how fast it was.
"The surgery lasted as if it lasted forever, but it was probably about 10 am Since then, it's going very well." All we need to do is go to the Leeds Hospital once and a month now, and they are looking to see us in Newcastle because they're really happy with what she's doing.
"Now that she's getting better, she's completely mad . She loves to play with her sister, she sleeps better, she starts to eat
Happy and healthy: her parents say Evie, a two-year-old girl, grew up since her transplant
"It's charming – I took her to playgroups, and she will start a nursery in September.
"Everyone Should be on the Donor List"
"Clearly, it's a hard question to ask when someone is dead, but that's why all our family and friends have already had this conversation, so we know what we would do.
Simon, 33, added: "Myself, I never thought about it until my daughter was affected and needed a transplant." 19659002 "Everything is kept secret and we do not really talk about it, but it must be: the person who donated us saved two lives just with their liver, and they probably gave other organs
Despite the increase in donations, 205 people in the region are still waiting for a transplant
For many of them, a donation of organ is their only hope of life.
Richard Finney, of Heaton, Newcastle, also knows the importance of organ donors
Squash player Richard Finney who will participate in the Transplant Games (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
In 2010, he waited seven months for the liver he needed as a result of a severe autoimmune disease.
The now 50-year-old has encouraged people to sign the donor registry Family members understand their decision.
He said, "This is not a conversation you want to have for the first time at 4 am when you just lost a parent."
to have around the table. it's something that needs to be done.
"He was hoping people would read things like that and then talk about it openly, rather than hope it will save lives."
According to NHS bosses, this message is particularly important for the over 50s.
Evie Owens just before her liver transplant in February
Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said, "We are incredibly grateful to all the families of the Northeast who chose to say "yes" to donating organs.
"The donation of organs is the only hope for many seriously ill people. We know that many families feel a sense of pride and comfort because of their decision to save lives through organ donation. We want more people to have this opportunity.
"We need more than 50 years to support the gift." People from older groups can still save and transform lives through the donation of organs and tissues. Many more lives could be saved by telling their families that they want to donate. "
To become an organ donor, go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk.
A new opt-out system The government is currently working on donation but, at the At present, people must "opt" to donate their organs.
