Leeds Kidney Transplant

13/10/2026

07/10/2026

Fantastic team who work tirelessly to make life saving transplants happen, you’re all amazing 🫶🏽

25/09/2026

We received the most beautiful letter this week, written by the mum of one of our recipients to send on to her son’s donor family. Please take the time to read her words. This is what is truly about 💗

✍🏼
We are sorry it has taken us so long to write.
Mark was 16 years old when he was first diagnosed with kidney disease and our world was turned upside down.

For over 20 years he battled bravely and always with a smile on his face and a cheeky laugh. The stress on our family was awful, it was like being on a never ending roller coaster wondering if he would ever get off.

The inevitable day finally came when we were told he would need a transplant and would have to go on dialysis.

We went through family testing for organ donation but it wasn’t to be. We knew that in order for his suffering to end, somebody else would have to feel a loss unimaginable and we did struggle with that.

He had dialysis 4 times a day for nearly 2 years, he couldn’t see his friends much, holidays were cancelled, all our lives were now ruled by his dialysis regime, medication deliveries, trips to the hospital for tests and treatment for complications. His home no longer looked like a home, it looked like a hospital.

Mark is a wonderful young man. He loves buses, train sets, cars, watching Morse re-runs, action movies and his PlayStation. He makes everyone laugh and is the glue that holds our family together.

When the call came, we cried, not for joy, but because your family had made the ultimate sacrifice. Your family had traded places with our family. It felt wrong for us to be happy in that moment.

After Mark had his transplant, myself and his sister wanted to honour the person who had saved Mark’s life. We bought angel tealights so your loved one is always in our homes and we have a constant reminder that a generous stranger gave us the most incredible gift which we will never forget and we have the utmost respect, the deepest of sympathy and gratitude.

Mark had a difficult 9 months at the start with infections and medication issues, but he is now stable. He is able to walk, see his friends and we have just had our first holiday in a long time which he loved and he is back to enjoying life.

All of this would not have been possible without your family!

Mark has named his kidney Ross. He eats apples and fish which he never used to eat and he says it is because Ross likes them.

We don’t know your loved one’s name but Mark thought it only right to name his kidney as a reminder that another person lives on in him and of their gift to him.

Forever grateful!

💌

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
NHS Organ Donation

25/09/2026

More than 2,000 opportunities to save lives were lost…

Did you know families are 90% more likely to consent to organ donation if their loved one has registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register?

That figure drops to 50% when no decision is known.

Between April 2021 and March 2026 in the UK over 700 potential organ donations did not go ahead because family members did not know what their loved one wanted.

Because organ donors can save multiple lives, that means there were around 2,127 missed opportunities to save or improve someone’s life.

This Organ Donation Week we are calling on one million people who have never registered to confirm their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. It takes just two minutes and you can potentially save nine lives.

23/09/2026

This have that important conversation with your loved ones and confirm your decision on the organ donation register by visiting the link below. Give somebody the same chance you would want for yourself and the people you love most 🩷

https://register.organdonation.nhs.uk/start/?campaign=3707&utm_source=otdt_yorkshire&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=bau_organs_2526&utm_content=partner_pack&utm_term=v1

21/09/2026

Welcome to Organ Donation Week!

Between 21st - 27th September we'll be sharing stories of people whose lives have been saved by organ donation, and the donor families and living donors who have made the decision to donate.

We need your help to spread the word - there are currently more than 8,700 people waiting for an organ and deceased donation rates are in decline. Every week nine people die waiting for an organ.

So, how can you help?

Family consent rates have fallen from 67% in 2020/21 to 57% last year, but we know that families support donation 90% of the time when they know their loved one’s decision, compared with around 50% when no decision is known.

We are calling on one million people who have never registered before to confirm their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register this year. It takes just two minutes to register, and each donor can potentially save up to nine lives.

Every day, opportunities to save lives are lost because organ donation decisions aren’t known.

Confirm your decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

It takes two minutes and you could help save nine lives.

Confirm your decision here 👉
https://register.organdonation.nhs.uk/start/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=3758&utm_content=image&utm_term=cta_openingasset

16/09/2026

12/05/2026

Happy International Nurses’ Day!

From the renal transplant co-ordinator team to all the incredible nurses who work across our teams, hospital and beyond - happy international nurses’ day! What an honour and privilege it is to do our job and be part of our patient’s transplant journey 💞

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust