SOUTHWARK RESIDENT Derricka Simpson’s life changed in June 2018 when she learnt that her father had end stage kidney failure. 

Rather than see him go on dialysis she immediately decided to become his living donor – a brave and selfless undertaking for a 20 year old woman. 

Derricka underwent a series of rigorous physical and psychological tests before both she successfully donated in November 2019.

‘He’s a new, happy and healthy man’

Derricka said: “Since donating to my dad, he’s been active like 15 year old boy! He is now able to resume playing his favourite game of dominos of Friday, he can follow me grocery shopping on weekends and just do the simple things that we normally took for granted. He’s honestly a new, happy and healthy man since donation and we cannot thank the kidney team at Guy’s for their support throughout this journey.”

Now the 20 year old Southwark resident is urging the black community not to ‘Opt-Out’ of the forthcoming organ donation law.

She continued: “I think it’s imperative for the BAME community not to ‘Opt Out’ of the forthcoming Organ Donation Law because last year alone over 630 black people were on the waiting list for a kidney transplant but there were only 25 living kidney donor.

“Sadly some of the people waiting for the kidney died. If we opt out then people in our community will continue to die because of chronic diseases like kidney failure.”

Miri Vutabwarova, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Living Donation Guy’s Hospital said: “Kidney disease is more common within the BAME groups, this is mainly due to the high rates of diabetes and high blood pressure within this community.”

She continues: “The law on organ donation in UK is about to change, many people are opting out without understanding how this can greatly affect them. There has been a lot of misinformation and fake news sent around concerning the new laws. I would recommend people reading the official information from the NHS Blood and Transplant website to be best informed.”

Increasing awareness

GOLD founder Dela Idowu, founder of the charity GOLD (Gift of Living Donation) said: “Our mission is to increase awareness of organ donation and living donation in the BAME community. We do this by aiming to change some of the cultural attitudes towards donation and kick start conversations within the Black community about organ donation and transplantation.”

The law on organ donation in UK is about to change, many people are opting out without understanding how this can greatly affect them. There has been a lot of misinformation and fake news sent around concerning the new laws.

Miri Vutabwarova, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Living Donation Guy’s Hospital

But there is still a stark imbalance between the numbers of black, Asian and minority ethnic donors and those patients in need of a lifesaving transplant. People from the BAME communities represented eight percent of all deceased donors last year compared with 31 percent of those on the transplant waiting list.

Although consent rates have risen, with 42 percent saying yes to organ donation when asked in hospitals, still only around half as many black, Asian and minority ethnic families support donation compared with families from a white background.