Have you spoken about Organ Donation to your kids?

The Orgamites are a family of nine cartoon characters representing the major organs in the body that can be donated, and their minder, the engaging Mr ‘Funny’ Bone who acts as a spokesman for the Orgamites and also serves as a reminder of the importance of bone marrow transplants.  The main objective of the Orgamites is to raise awareness and public acceptance of organ donation around the world, so that organ donation becomes the default position when anyone passes away for whatever reason. Their organs can then deliver life enhancing and life extending support to another person.

Almost 49,000 people in the UK have endured the wait for an organ transplant in the last 10 years with over 6,000 dying before receiving the organ they desperately needed*. And yet only a minority of parents with children aged 18 and under have discussed the subject of organ donation with their immediate family members.

That’s according to new research by charity Live Life Give Life which shows that just 40% have spoken to their spouse or partner about their wishes, 19% have spoken to their parents, 15% with their children and merely 9% with their siblings.

Organ donation is a taboo subject amongst many families until it affects them directly or indirectly.  Few people are aware of it and even fewer want to talk about it.  In fact many parents would feel more comfortable discussing bullying (65%), racism (57%) cyber bullying (52%) cancer (49%), terrorism (47%) or homophobia (46%) with their kids rather than organ donation (45%).

In contrast, whilst more than 40% of parents said they wouldn’t avoid talking about organ donation with their children, they do worry that their children are too young to be told about this type of subject (29%) and 13% don’t want to upset their children.

2016 marks 45 years since the first kidney donor card was issued and 35 years since the first full donor card, but there is still a chronic shortage of organ donors in this country and particularly child donors as most parents are reluctant to sign their children up to the donor register.

The charity Live Life Give Life has a vision where organ donation is the norm, not the exception. So, in partnership with the creative team at Donroy, The Orgamites have been created to get the conversation started in a positive way. They want to encourage people young and old to discuss and consider organ donation before it affects them. Mr Bone and his seven mighty friends are on a mission to get us talking about organ transplantation in schools and in our homes in an accessible way.

For more information visit www.orgamites.com