HUNDREDS of people have offered their support to a documentary about the trauma of waiting for an organ transplant.

As reported in The Gazette, Luke Yates appealed to the public to back A Love Worth Giving through a crowdfunding campaign, so the film about his wife’s wait for a double lung transplant could be finished.

The 28-year-old started the film when his wife, Sam, was still alive, and had hoped the ending would document the moment she received the life-changing call for the transplant she desperately needed. But time ran out for 28-year-old Sam, who died during filming, losing her battle with cystic fibrosis on April 4, 2013 following a three-year wait on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The former Kempshott Junior School teacher tirelessly campaigned to encourage more people to sign the register, and Luke vowed to continue her efforts and create a lasting legacy for his wife.

He hopes the film will raise awareness of organ donation, and encourage more people to sign the register.

The Imperial College London research scientist managed to raise more than £15,000 through the campaign, from 380 backers, which will enable him to complete the documentary to a professional standard.

He said: “I was very pleased. It was nerve-wracking because it was last minute when we got floods of pledges. It takes some time to build up momentum and get it out there. We saw a spike in pledges soon after it was published in The Gazette which was fantastic.”

Luke hopes the 20-minute documentary, directed by James Newton, will be completed by June, when it will be sent to various film festivals.

He said: “We want the maximum number of people see it and understand what it means to be an organ donor and make an informed decision.

“We are not telling people they should do it whether they like it or not, we want people to come to their own decision.”

Luke said a number of people have already signed the register after hearing about his documentary and watching a clip of it online, and added: “It’s fantastic to know it’s already making a difference. It’s all really down to Sam, her character and her charisma and her determination and zest. You are quickly brought into her world and quickly realise what it means to be waiting for a transplant.”

Luke is planning to hold a special screening of A Love Worth Giving for those who have supported the documentary, to be held at The Welcome Trust, in London.

He said: “We want to thank all those people who saw it and decided to become organ donors or pledge to this campaign. We hope we can get a lot more people to think about organ donation and sign up.

“I want to say a great big thank you to help us finalise something we started four years ago.”

To find out more about A Love Worth Giving visit aloveworthgiving.com