Great Ormond Street Hospital to unveil specially commissioned art honouring organ donors

Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) has unveiled three specially-commissioned art works honouring young organ donors.

The photographs, which feature the image of the donor and a quote from their families, will be displayed in the hospital’s intensive care units (ICU) in order to help inspire families considering organ donation.

Working with the families of donors and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the images show the comfort and pride that organ donation brought to the families when their loved one died and organ donation was a possibility. One of the photographs is that of Eleanor, who died aged 14 years old. She went on to save four lives, including those of two young women and two toddlers, when her family consented to donating her kidneys and heart valves.

Speaking of the event, Eleanor’s mum, Gillian said: “We are so honoured to be here at GOSH remembering Eleanor and sharing her story. It was by chance that we had a conversation as a family about organ donation after watching a programme on TV. That was when Eleanor expressed her wishes to us, so we never doubted our decision, even during the most difficult time. We hope that she will be an inspiration to other families.”

Featuring in a second photograph is Aoife, who died at the age of four years old. She went on to save a life when her family consented to donating her kidneys.

Aoife’s mum, Michelle said: “We are so proud to be here at GOSH honouring our daughter. Aoife died waiting for a heart transplant, and although it was the hardest moment of our lives, my husband and I did the only thing we could – give another family the life-saving gift they desperately hoped for. We hope that everyone who sees Aoife’s story will be encouraged to talk to their loved ones about organ donation.”

Karis, who died at the age of 12 years old, is also featured in the commissioned work. She went on to save the lives of five people when her family consented to donating her heart, liver, pancreas and both kidneys. The family’s life-saving gift changed the lives of two children, a teenage girl, a baby and a man who had been on dialysis for ten years.

Karis’ mum, Kerri said: “There aren’t enough words to describe how proud we are of Karis, and we are honoured that she will be remembered at GOSH. Although it was the toughest day of our lives, when faced with the decision to donate her organs we did exactly what we knew Karis would want us to do.

"Because of her precious gift, five other families have been spared the pain of losing a loved one and that brings us great comfort. We hope that her story will serve as a reminder of how anyone can consider being an organ donor, and how important it is to talk about it with your family.”

GOSH is a national transplant centre, with a leading role in providing paediatric transplant care for children from all over the UK. It is also one of the largest children’s heart and lung transplant centres in Europe and is the largest paediatric centre for kidney transplant in the UK. This Organ Donation Week, the hospital is urging families across the country to talk more often and more openly about organ donation in order to help save young lives.

While many children could receive an organ donation from an adult, for some, a young donor is their only hope. This means that seriously ill children waiting for a transplant are reliant on a family willing to donate their child’s organs. New figures from NHSBT show that the consent rate for paediatric organ donation is still lower than the overall national average for adults. Only 48% of families supported donation for a relative aged 17 and under in 2017, compared with an average of 68% of families agreeing for relatives of all ages.

Dr Joe Brierley, GOSH Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, said: “Losing a child is a terrible tragedy but for some families there is real comfort in being able to consider organ donation. At GOSH, we’ve seen first-hand the impact that the gift of organ donation can have on a young life. Anyone can consider this amazing gift that can save lives, even children. We hope that the stories of Eleanor, Aoife and Karis will bring the possibility of organ and tissue donation into the consciousness of families, so that no opportunities for donation are missed.”

The overall number of young donors remains relatively static at a time when the number of adult organ donors is quickly rising. There are currently 150 children in the UK waiting to receive a life-changing transplant – 40 of those are GOSH patients needing heart, lung and kidney transplants. Although children can join the NHS Organ Donor Register, those with parental responsibility must give final consent for donation.

Organ donation is a relatively rare event in the UK, because although more than half a million people die each year, only around 1 in every 100 do so in circumstances which allow organs to be donated. It’s therefore vital for people of all ages to discuss their donation decision with their family.