While people in Cornwall are looking forward to spending Christmas with their loved ones and exchanging gifts, 50 people in Cornwall who are on the waiting list for a transplant will be hoping they will soon get the gift of an organ.

This December, NHS Blood and Transplant is running the Christmas List campaign, to draw attention to the thousands of people who are waiting for a transplant across the UK and to encourage everyone to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Sadly, not all of those waiting will get the transplant they need. New figures show 24 patients in Cornwall have died while on the transplant waiting list during the past five years.

Other people have been more fortunate, with 37 patients in Cornwall having received a transplant already this year thanks to families agreeing to donate a loved one’s organs.

Through its Christmas List campaign, NHS Blood and Transplant is highlighting the stories of patients waiting for a transplant and those who have received them, donor families and nurses who support families when they donate a loved one’s organs.

Joanna Chalker is an NHS Blood and Transplant specialist nurse in organ donation who covers Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. She approaches families about organ donation and supports them throughout the process.

She said: "It is humbling to work with people following the loss of a loved one at any time of year, not just at Christmas, and it is very rewarding to fulfil the wishes of a donor and their family to save lives.

"Organ donors save or improve the quality of life of seriously ill patients. For many patients a transplant is the only option left and their life depends on families agreeing to donate.

"I urge people in Cornwall to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and to tell those closest to them their decision. I know that many families find it easier to support donation when they know their loved one wanted to be an organ donor."

Sally Johnson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, said: “Quite simply, there is a shortage of donated organs but if more families agreed to donate a loved one’s organs, more people would get the transplants they need.

"So when you are spending time with your loved ones this Christmas, please take a few minutes to sign the Organ Donor Register, and tell your family you’d be proud to become a donor. By telling those closest to you that you want to donate you will remove the burden of them having to guess what you would have wanted at a difficult time.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 23 or text SAVE to 62323. Once you’ve signed up tell those closest to you that you want to donate.