WHEN it comes to the issue of organ donation, I'm among the vast majority of East Midlanders – I haven't consented to donate my vital organs in the event of my death.
I have no particular reason for not having done so.
In fact, I have a very good reason for signing up.
My brother was born with a kidney defect and spent a period of his early life in Derby Children's Hospital.
Although he himself did not ul
timately require a transplant and has long since made a full recovery, that kind of experience should, on reflection as an adult, have made me consider the 'what ifs'.
I know that his illness has forged a steeliness in his character, a determination to succeed in and enjoy life, and that he has certainly done.
It's difficult for someone who has – touch wood – never suffered a significant health problem to really appreciate what it means to be given a second chance in life, to feel physically well again.
As a parent, I know how a mild infection or virus in one's children can be a cause for concern.
But I can only begin to imagine the agony families suffer when a loved one's health becomes not only a matter of life or death but a waiting game too.
One of issues arising from the closure of Sherwood Hall Leisure Centre was finding a new venue for people to give blood.
That is something else I have never done.
Not that I had actively avoided it, it just did not register as a priority, which is why the proposed opt-out scheme for organ donation is probably ideal for pre-occupied day-dreamers like me.
After all, what use will I have for my organs when my time is up?
Better to give them to someone with that opportunity of a second chance.
