This week marks Organ Donation Week 2026, from Monday 21st – Sunday 27th September, at a time where the waiting list for a kidney has never been higher.
Over 7,200 people in the UK are now on the waiting list in need of a kidney. In the past year, six people died every week while waiting for a kidney.
This week is an opportunity to raise awareness of living kidney donation and the life-changing benefits it can offer someone on the waiting list. We will be doing this throughout the coming week by highlighting the increasing need for more people to consider donating to those on the transplant waiting list, as well as promoting the support and resources available to anyone thinking about donating.
Please do follow us @DonateaKidneyUK on all social media channels to help us raise awareness of living kidney donation and join in the conversation yourself using the hashtags #OrganDonationWeek to help raise further awareness.
We’re also supporting our friends at NHS Blood and Transplant who are raising awareness of the incredible benefits of organ donation and the need for more people to consider donating and joining the Organ Donor Registry. Most of us would accept an organ if we needed one, so why not consider if you could also donate a kidney to someone in need? Keep an eye out for their stories in the press across the country and social media all week.
We’d love to hear your experiences with living kidney donation. Your words and experiences can help others to understand what they can expect during their living kidney donation journey, and help others decide whether they would consider donating themselves. Visit our Share Your Story page for more information.
