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Among those attending is Jon Ekin, whose dad Reginald died aged 83 last year. The family made the tough and compassionate decision to donate Reginald’s corneas. We spoke to Jon about how important it is for families to talk about organ donation. The Ekin family are one of many who had not previously discussed organ donation, yet decided to make the choice as their dad Reginald was at end-of-life care in Barnsley Hospital last year.
Jon said: “We hadn’t talked about donation. We don’t do that in Yorkshire, do we? But it’s a discussion families should have because it makes the decision to donate so much easier.”
Jon, 54, is a hairdresser and has lived in Blackpool since he was 19. His family lived in Worsbrough Bridge and Birdwell and his dad was a welder and later a handyman at Bretton Hall. Jon’s mum passed away in 2020, just before what would have been her 57th anniversary of marriage to Reginald.
Mourning the loss of his wife, Reginald’s health began to decline. Jon said: “Me and my sister noticed he had less of an appetite, aches and pains, and was finding it difficult to swallow. We were concerned.”
One day, Reginald was sitting at home with a long-term friend, Eric. Jon said: “My dad had a blackout and Eric called the ambulance. Dad went into Barnsley Hospital and the next few days we were in discussion about what was going to happen.
“Dad was in hospital 16 days. I left him on the Wednesday morning, when he was sitting up in bed flicking through the newspaper and having a cup of tea. I went home so I could get ready for the next day. At 2.30am I got a call from my sister that dad had taken a turn for the worse.
“I rushed straight back to hospital and staff told me dad’s body was failing him. Helen, the nurse, was absolutely fantastic. Dad had a strong dose of antibiotics but didn’t respond. The family all sat with him. The nurse came in, we said our goodbyes and the nurse said dad had been a pleasure to care for. She had even granted one of his last requests – to have a runny egg butty!
“We were asked if we would consider soft tissue donation. We gave our consent to donate his corneas. Later, the unit gave us a packet of forget-me-not seeds for dad - which was lovely.”
This year, for Organ Donation Week, Barnsley Hospital is joining the many local landmarks and buildings across the country to ‘turn pink’ on 25 September. This is in memory of more than 400 people who died last year, waiting for an organ transplant, and to encourage people to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
More than 8,000 people are waiting for a life changing transplant.
For more information, visit: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/tips-and-guidance/turn-the-skies-pink-for-organ-donation-week/