19th September 2025
This Organ Donation Week, we are asking those who haven’t yet done so, to help save lives by confirming their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. One person can save up to nine lives as an organ donor, and even more if they also donate tissue. If you want to be an organ donor, the best way to make this known is by being on the NHS Organ Donor Register and sharing it with family. Visit www.organdonationni.info or call 0300 123 23 23.
John is an altruistic organ donor, and this is his story.
“I am an “altruistic” living kidney donor since 2023. Every donor is altruistic of course, but it means that I made a non-directed donation to a stranger after seeing promotion of the opportunity at a blood donation session in the City Hospital in Belfast. I donated into a pool, meaning that I unlocked a chain of donations, from which three people benefitted. It is a privilege to enjoy good health and my donation has not affected my active lifestyle at all. In fact, my fitness made the surgery less risky and the recovery process a lot quicker. As a case in point, I ran my first marathon 12 months after donating.
I found out about Transplant Sport NI through the living donor nurses at the City Hospital in Belfast. As I don’t know my recipient, it provided an opportunity to meet others in the transplant community. It’s a lovely bunch of people who celebrate life, health and fitness. I have been doing triathlon since 2007. When I found out that NI would be sending its first team to the World Games and that they would have a donor category for triathlon for the first time, of course I had to sign up. I also did the 5 km road race as a serious endeavour as well as the 50m butterfly, 100m sprint and 5,000 m race walk for fun. I brought back 4 golds and a silver in my events, helping Northern Ireland to 11th nation in the medals table! There was a fantastic atmosphere at World Transplant Games and I had a great time. I will definitely be back at the next in 2027.”
Richard Lyons tells us the story of how he donated an organ to help his wife.
“I was elated to find out that I was a suitable donor for my wife, Gillian, who received her kidney from me in January 2023. Prior to the transplant operation I was apprehensive but the donor coordinators and doctors were fantastic in explaining the whole process and I was out of hospital within three days of the operation.
After the transplant Gillian wanted to join TSNI to keep active and as her donor I decided to join too. We went to the British Transplant Games in Summer 2024 and jumped at the opportunity to go to the World Transplant Games in Dresden in August this year as part of the team representing Northern Ireland for their first time as a stand-alone country at the world games. It was such a privilege for me to watch everyone’s training coming together and winning medals which meant that NI came 11th on the medal table out of the 51 countries taking part.
I took part in the donor petanque and ball throw and managed to add a silver and bronze to the TSNI medal tally, which exceeded all my expectations.
Walking into the stadium at the opening ceremony and seeing all of the recipients made me realise what a difference being a donor can make to someone’s life. To see the recipients taking part in their various sports, especially being able to watch Gillian receiving her medal for the 3km race walk and seeing everyone living their lives to the full made me proud to be part of the transplant community. I would encourage everyone to have the conversation about donation with their family and even consider being a living donor.”
James McCourt is another one of our altruistic donors and here he describes why he wanted to help.
“I represented Northern Ireland at the recent world transplant games in Dresden. My donation journey started in the summer of 2018, and I was wondering what I could do to help the NHS. I came across an article about being a living donor and made an appointment to see the one of the living donors coordinators and they answered any questions I had.
In March 2019 I donated to someone I have never met and can honestly say that I didn’t know the effect of what I had done until I joined Transplant Sports NI and heard about my teammates struggles with their health and how grateful they were to their donors and I knew I had done the right thing. When I took part in the games in Dresden and seen the positive effect that organ donation has I was so proud of my team for how they have come through a difficult period in their lives and to see them win medals and achieve person bests was absolutely amazing.”