MORE than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. And of these, three a day will die waiting.

Sam Yates was one of those unlucky ones, for whom time ran out.

The 28-year-old Basingstoke school teacher waited three years for a potentially life-changing call, which never came.

Her husband, Luke, has taken part in a documentary to continue her campaigning to encourage people to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register.

It must be very hard for him to accept that his wife could still be alive today if more people had signed the register.

When Luke says it’s the “sensible thing to do”, he’s absolutely right.

But still so many people are not signed up to the register, or haven’t made their families aware of their wishes to donate their organs in death.

It might be a difficult subject to raise with your loved ones but it’s absolutely vital, and it could be the difference between life and death for someone on the waiting list.

It is difficult to understand why there is not an opt-out system in place, so that all organs are automatically donated unless a person has specifically requested otherwise.

But at the moment, the system requires people to sign the register to show their willingness to have their organs donated.

The Gazette would encourage our readers to sign the register so people like Sam don’t have to die.

Together, we can help Luke create a lasting legacy for his wife.

He couldn’t save her, but by continuing Sam’s efforts to raise awareness of organ donation, he may be able to use his story to save the lives of others.

To sign the NHS Organ Donor Register visit organdonation.nhs.uk.

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