Star comment: Organ donors always wanted

Men, women and children of all ages have benefited from the kindness of strangers in the most profound and powerful way. The indescribable relief and happiness that families have found as lives endure where they would otherwise have been shortened.

The story is one that reflects well on the many people who are on the NHS Organ Donor Register, which has grown considerably in recent times.

It also shows our doctors, surgeons and health service administrators in a positive light, for it is their work that has brought success.

Yet while we should welcome the improvements in figures, as record numbers undergo transplant operations, there is no room for complacency.

More people could sign up for the donor register, providing others with the opportunity of life if the unexpected happens.

And the NHS Blood and Transplant service, along with the media, can continue to raise awareness so that more people are aware that they can make a contribution.

The number of people who die each day because a suitable donor has not been found gives us a collective responsibility to do more.