Share your decision
Whatever you decide, it’s important to make sure your donation decision is known to your family and friends
My family's role
Your family will always be asked for their support for organ donation to go ahead, even if you’re on the Organ Donor Register. That’s why talking to them and letting them know your decision is so important.
Your family can override your decision if they don't know what you want and each year, hundreds of opportunities for transplants are missed because families aren't sure what to do.
In fact, only half of families agree to donation going ahead if they don’t know their loved one’s decision, however this rises to 9 out of 10 when they have had a previous conversation about that decision.
If you want to donate
As well as recording your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, if you want to be an organ donor after you die, it's so important to talk to your loved ones and make sure they understand and support your organ donation decision.
If you don't want to donate
If you decide not to become an organ donor, you can still help your family through a difficult time by talking to them about your organ donation decision now, and making sure they know what you want. You can also record this decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Donor families
Many donor families talk of the comfort they take from the knowledge that their loved one has gone on to save and transform lives through organ donation. Hear from two families in this video: