"Maybe it's not going to go": 37-year-old Oxford man says he's on transplant list

An Oxford woman who needs a lung transplant talked about what it's like to have your life entirely in the hands of others on the waiting list.

Helen Roper, 37, with cystic fibrosis, was put on the waiting list for transplant last May after her condition deteriorated.

She is now supporting calls to encourage members of the public to at least have a discussion with their loved ones about donating organs.

The number of people waiting for a lung transplant has increased 46% over the last five years, according to the NHS Blood and Transplant, which also calls for people to talk urgently to their families about donation of organs.

Ms. Roper, who worked in online marketing before becoming too sick, said, "You continue to think that everything will be fine and that someone will sit and tell you that it will not go well.

"There is a lot to think.

"We are all going to die, but know that it will be realistic if you do not get a transplant."

Ms. Roper explained that donors must have similar height, weight and fabric matching, making it more difficult to find a compatible person.

She said, "I think the bottom line is that people need to talk to their friends and family to see if they want to donate, because if something happens, then it's too late. "

The latest figures released for Organ Donation Week last week show that there are now 354 people on the waiting list for lung transplantation, compared to just 242 five years ago .

According to the figures, about 17% of people registered for a lung transplant died a year later.

John Forsythe, Associate Medical Director of the NHS Blood and Transplant for Organ Donation and Transplantation, said:

"To tell your family what you want also makes things easier at a difficult time. Unfortunately, many donation opportunities are lost each year because families do not know if their loved one wants to be a donor or not.

"It is urgent that people tell their families that they want to donate."

For more information on how to become an organ donor, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk