A Bolton phsioptherapist is urging people to sign up as organ donors and has revealed how his own life was saved.
Robert Hodgkiss, who works at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, was given a second chance of life after a heart transplant 26 years ago thanks to a thoughtful donor.
Now, to coincide with Organ Donation Week starting this Monday, Mr Hodgkiss hopes to use his experience to encourage more people to potentially save lives by signing up to the register.
Explaining his story, he said: “A few months after my daughter was born I started to get very out of breath and had swollen legs, and the hospital found I was in heart failure.
“I ended up having a heart attack and stroke on the ward and I was told the only way I would survive was with a heart transplant.
“Within eight weeks of being admitted with what was thought to be a chest infection, I was discharged with a new heart two weeks before my daughter’s first birthday.”
Since his operation, Mr Hodgekiss has since retrained as a physiotherapist and has won five gold medals competing in transplant athletics competitions around the world.
He said: “At the last games in Italy I won five gold medals, but it’s more about promoting that you can have a normal and fulfilled life after a transplant.
“It’s not about glory but showing the world that you can go on to do things. It gave me a focus to train and get fit and healthy again, making the most of the chance you’ve been given.”
Added said: “My goal at the time of transplant was to live long enough for my daughter to remember me, and she is now just about to finish her doctorates at university.
“It’s all about being able to witness those milestones.”
Between April last year and March this year, 11 patients have been treated with an organ transplant at Royal Bolton Hospital.
But across the country around 7,000 people are still waiting for a life changing transplant, including more than 200 children.
Doctors say that adults and children can each save up to nine lives by being an organ donor and improve many more lives by donating tissue too.
Mr Hodgekiss said: “Under the new opt-out system, it’s still really important that your family knows where you stand on donation as the final decision lies with them.
“If your family don’t know your wishes then we risk losing potential transplants, so please have that conversation with your loved ones and leave them certain.”
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His words have been echoed by other senior staff at Royal Bolton.
Bereavement lead Suzanne Lomax said: “We know talking about what happens after death isn’t always easy, but it’s really important we tackle that taboo so that we’re certain on a loved one’s organ donation wishes.
“It’s not being morbid, the conversation is a really positive act as it could go on to save and transform lives of others.
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