Organ Donation (takes 2 minutes, saves 9 lives)

Organ donation is a huge gift, either during life or after death. In just 2 minutes, you could save 9 lives! Just register online to ensure your wishes are carried out (and let your family know of your wishes). Also read about donating blood, plasma and stem cells for bone marrow.

Living donors (kidney and liver)

You can donate kidneys and liver while still alive (people can live on one kidney and livers grow back). There are slight risks of high blood pressure, fatigue and pain for donating kidneys, visit the NHS living donor page to learn more.

It also has information on donating liver tissue and bone and amniotic membrane tissue (for babies delivered by elective caesarian section at a partner hospital.

Placenta can be donated and does not interfere with the delivery of a baby). Overseen by specialist tissue donation nurses or health care professionals.

Donating hearts, lung and pancreas

These give life to people who are waiting for life-saving transplants.

Donating skin

Doctors use donated skin to treat patients with burns and severe injuries. Skin donation also helps cover wounds, prevent infection and ease pain while natural healing takes place.

Donating bone, tendons and cartilage

This can help complex joint repairs or to replace bone, lost to cancer or surgery. These tissues help patients to heal and regain movement.

Donating blood vessels and heart valves

This helps people (especially children) with serious heart problems. And makes major heart and vascular surgery possible.

Donating corneas

These are the clear layers at the front of your eyes, that help you see. Donating them restores sight for people with damaged or diseased eyes (people with glasses can still donate).

Comedian Paul Kerensa (who co-wrote comedy series Miranda) is the proud recipient of the cornea of a 65-year old woman, to whom he is very thankful. He says he wears his ‘hand-me-down cornea’ with pride.

Donate your body (for medical research)

Body donation! is a great way to help reduce animal testing. Cadavers are needed to find cures for disease (healthy bodies too as you need a healthy brain to compare with one from someone who died of dementia).

Usually religious views are respected and some offer prosthetics for open caskets. Read of reasons only to give to humane medical research.