Parents in Rutland whose children had transplants are urging people to talk about organ donation
It's as waiting lists are rising and the number of donors is falling
A couple from Rutland, whose children both needed life-saving liver transplants, are calling on people to have conversations about organ donation.
They’re speaking out as over 500 people are currently waiting for transplants in the East Midlands, while the number of donors continues to fall.
As well as this, there's 277 people who died whilst waiting for a transplant in the region.
The waiting lists for organ transplants are still pretty huge
Milo and Wren were both born with the rare liver disease, PFIC-2.
Milo received a liver transplant when he was just two years old, and Wren was transplanted at the age of seven.
They wouldn't have made it to 10 without a transplant
Mum of Milo and Wren, Zoe, said:
"They wouldn't have made it to 10 without a transplant, so the fact that they are 11 and 12 and both at high school, both doing really, really well, we are so grateful for organ donation."
"The waiting lists for organ transplants are still pretty huge."
"We have friends waiting for transplants, and we are aware that at some point either of these two might need to be retransplanted, so it's worrying."
For us to still have our son, somebody else had to not have theirs
Rachel, the children's other mum, said:
"Milo's donor was 19, still fairly young and with his whole life ahead of him."
"So I think it hit us quite hard that for us to still have our son, somebody else had to not have theirs."