SCOTS BIKERS REVVED UP FOR ORGAN DONATION AT SCOTTISH MOTORCYCLE SHOW
Scots bikers are being urged to register as organ donors by two Harley Davidson enthusiasts who lost their son.
Brian and Muriel McCabe’s son Grant, 40, passed away in September 2010 after a brain haemorrhage and his family agreed to donate his organs, saving six lives.
Now the couple’s biker buddies at the Harley Davidson Chapter of Edinburgh will be using Grant’s memory to encourage motorcyclists to join the register at the Scottish Motorcycle Show this weekend 9-10 March 2013.
Brian said: -“Bikers are at a higher risk of dying with a head injury and should register their wishes as an organ donor so their family knows what to do if that time ever comes.
“When Grant died he wasn’t on the register and it made it harder for us to decide what to do. We knew we would have taken an organ for Grant if it would have saved him and so we knew we should do the same for others in the horrendous position of waiting for a transplant to survive.
“All the guys in the Harley Davidson chapter have supported us and are helping get more Scots to join the register and make a difference.
“It’s horrific for any family but something good can come out of something so bad. You don’t need to give money to charity to help people, simply join the register and you could save a life after you’ve gone.”
A team of NHS Organ Donor Register staff will be on hand at the MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show at Ingliston on Saturday and Sunday to answer questions on organ donation and speak to biking enthusiasts about the importance of joining the Register.
The Harley Davidson Chapter of Edinburgh will also have pictures of Grant on their stand at the show, coupled with sign up forms, to prompt bikers into action.
John Forsythe, Scotland’s Lead Clinician for Organ Donation and Transplantation, said: “In our society, nobody likes talking about death. It’s a taboo subject. However those who have elected to join the NHS Organ Donor Register or who have made their families aware of their organ donation wishes, make a most generous decision which allows others to live.
“Due to the generosity of the Scottish people, organ donor numbers are increasing and allowing more life-saving transplants to take place. But there is much still to do as people wait on lists for their chance to get a transplant.
“Please think about what you would want to happen to you, add your name to the Register and, as the ad says, have a wee chat to your family too.”
The event is part of a 40-date sign up road show touring the country in a bid to help the 600 Scots who are desperately waiting on a life-saving transplant.
Join the NHS Organ Donor Register – www.organdonationscotland.org or text LIFE to 61611. It only takes a few minutes but could mean the difference between life and death for those waiting for a transplant.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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