NKF Campaigns Zone:
Transplantation & Live Donors

An end to a Shortage of Kidney Donors?

Coun. John Meikle appeals to KPAs

An end to a shortage of Kidney donors? That is a premature sentence, but if the words “in a few years” are added, it might be much nearer the truth.  Particularly if a hundred or so of the 18,000 recipients of this magazine would make contact with me.

Why should you?  Because I was privileged to discover a simple formula in 1999. I discovered that my friends were not on the national organ donor register. They said they had never been asked. If I asked you, would you sign up, I said – they all said yes.

I am a veteran District Councillor, elected in 1958. I asked our Mayor of Taunton Deane Council to write and ask the same question of 80,000 electors. He agreed – within three weeks we had 11,500 volunteers, 15 per cent of the electorate. In the year 2000 I persuaded 12 councils to do the same and they produced 100,000 new potential donors. In 2001 I asked another 12 councils, and they produced another 117,000 new names for the register.  In 2002 I have had promises from 26 councils nationwide, and if all go ahead they will certainly produce in excess of 350,000 potential donors.

Now I come to you, dear reader – you live within the area of a District, Unitary or Metropolitan Council. You must be highly motivated to assist the expansion of the national donor register.  You could be one of the many support groups within the National Kidney Federation. By the time you read this magazine, I shall have written to the chief executive of your local council, complete with a letter to the First Citizen (Mayor or Chairman).  I will have asked them to join the Local Government National Organ Donor campaign for 2002.

Basically I want you and your friends to make an approach to your local council to back up the request I shall have already made.  The approach is even easier if you know any of the local councillors or officers of the council.  Your case will be even stronger if you find out how many dialysis patients there are in your area.  Write and tell the local newspaper editor what you are doing.  Will one or two patients join you in your approach?  We councillors are kindly people and like to show we care, that little extra pressure that you can give may make all the difference.

Please send me an A4 stamped addressed envelope and I will send you a DIY manual. You will not refuse me... if not you, who? Write to me, Coun. John Meikle MBE, 4 Queen’s Drive, Taunton TA1 4XW