Don’t ask me why or when it hit me but some time over the past few weeks I finally got myself a Donor Card. It’s been something on the long to-do list for an age & something very easy yet worthwhile to do. Why get one?

• You are 3 times more likely to need an organ transplant than be a donor.
• Transplant operations are becoming more & more successful thanks to advances in medicine yet the number of patients in need outnumbers the number of donors available
• You could give someone an incredible gift
• Putting your wish to be a donor in your will is simply too late

So how can you get one? It’s very easy – there’s several different ways you can get your card, all listed in the Irish Kidney Association website. Once you get your card it’s very important that you do the following:

• Sign the back of the card yourself
• Get your next of kin to sign the back of the card
• Carry the card with you at all times
• Tell people that you carry the card (and maybe even convince one or two of them to do the same!)

There’s plenty more information available on organ donation and transplantation at the Irish Kideny Associaton website at www.ika.ie.