Could you be a lifesaver?

Nobody wants to contemplate their passing but it happens to all of us at some point in our lives and sharing your wishes with your family is imperative - particularly if you want to help someone live on after your death.

According to statistics, almost 90 per cent of families agree to organ donation if they know their relative's decision, but this decreases to less than 50 per cent if they haven't had the conversation.

During Organ Donation Week (September 5 to 11) people are being encouraged to start that important conversation and 'Turn an End. Into a Beginning.'

Every day across the UK, around three people who could have benefited from a transplant die because there aren’t sufficient organ donors.

There are currently around 6,500 people on the waiting list for a transplant. Yet, of the approximately half a million people who die each year across the UK, only around 1% (5,603) die in circumstances where their organs could be donated.

Considering the small number of people dying in the right circumstances to become an organ donor, and so many adults and children in need of a transplant, it is imperative that no opportunity for someone to become a donor is missed.

Alyson Symons had her first kidney transplant 14 years ago. The 38-year-old from Addingham was diagnosed with the auto-immune condition, HSP, when she was 10. It eventually damaged her kidneys.

Alyson was put on dialysis after her 21st birthday but the only way for her to live a normal life was to have a transplant which, fortunately, she received from her father, David.

Alyson explains while she has had '14 wonderful years' with her father's kidney, due to her illness she was put back on the transplant waiting list in 2014.

However, for Alyson paired donation could bring fresh hope. She explains her mum, Joyce, isn't a match for her but, through paired donation with a recipient in the same position they may be able to 'swap' donors meaning that each recipient will benefit from a transplant they would otherwise not have had.

Alyson, who has joined the organ donor register, wants her plight to highlight the importance for organ donors to discuss their wishes with their families.

Many people believe you just have to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, but if you die in circumstances where you could become an organ donor your family would be approached by specialist nurses and asked to support your decision to donate.

Yet figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that only 47 per cent of families agree to organ donation if they are unaware of their relative's decision to be a donor.

Says Alyson: "What we are trying to highlight during Organ Donation Week is to turn and end into a beginning and to have the conversation with your family so they know your wishes."

For Alyson, receiving a transplant transformed her life, allowing her to live without the restrictions of being on dialysis. She continues to work as a counter clerk for the post office.

Anthony Clarkson, assistant director for Organ Donation and Nursing at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Too many families faced with the possibility of donating a relative's organs, find themselves having to make a decision without the comfort of knowing exactly what their relative would have wanted. This makes what is already an emotional and difficult time even harder. It is vital you tell your family about your organ donation decision: that knowledge will make it so much easier for them to support what you want."

Jenny Hughes, specialist nurse for organ donation, based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, says Bradford currently has a higher than national average - 88 people with a Bradford postcode are currently waiting for a transplant. Seventy four of those are waiting for kidneys.

"That is because kidneys are affected by so many different diseases," explains Jenny.

There is a particular need to encourage more black and Asian families to talk about organ donation. In 2015/16 only five per cent of all deceased donors came from a BAME background and families from these communities are more likely to refuse consent than white families.

This is a particular concern as people from black and Asian communities have a higher incidence of conditions such as diabetes making them more likely to need a transplant.

Jenny emphasized the importance of people starting the conversation with their families. "Our big message is brilliant you have signed up to the organ donor register but go home and talk about it because we have to ask families to support your decision.

"We are trying to ensure they have the right information to base their decision on," she adds.

For more information visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. You can also use hashtag #YesIDonate