THIRTY-FIVE people in Notts have died waiting for an organ transplant in the last five years.
Seven people have died already this financial year in the county – five waiting for kidneys, and two more who needed new livers.
The figures have been revealed as the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust launches its Be A Hero campaign – which is encouraging people to sign-up to be an organ donor.
At the moment there are 310,182 people in Notts registered as donors – or 28 per cent of the population.
Dale Gardiner, clinical lead for organ donation at the trust, which runs the QMC and City Hospital, said: "One donor can save the life of several people, restore the sight of two others and improve the quality of life for many more.
"The more people who pledge to donate their organs and tissue after their death, the more people stand to benefit. Organ donation is the greatest gift one person can give to another."
There are currently 163 people waiting for organs in Notts.
The majority of these people need new kidneys, but there are others who need new hearts, lungs, livers – and one person is waiting for a new pancreas.
Cystic fibrosis sufferer James Doherty, 24, of Keyworth is due to be assessed in March to see if there is any alternative to a transplant after his lung capacity dropped to just 27 per cent.
He said: "I am often very tired, and need oxygen constantly. This is a really important issue and I hope people get behind this campaign.
"Donating an organ really can give someone the chance of life."
Meanwhile grandfather Trevor Goodman knows the benefits of having a transplant better than most – having had both a new heart and kidney.
Mr Goodman, a former miner, had a heart attack in 1986 when he was 36.
"The generosity of those donors, and their next of kin, have allowed me to watch my children and now grandchildren grow up," said the 63-year-old of Cross Street, Bilsthorpe.
"I am incredibly lucky, and forever grateful to them."
