A HARLECH pensioner who has spent years waiting for a kidney transplant has urged more people to make organ donations.

Claire Laurie, of Harlech, has been waiting years for a kidney transplant before she finally received the call in 2013 to confirm that a suitable donor had been found.

The 82-year-old said: “Kidney problems were a part of my life for so long. I’d endured years of special diets, and daily dialysis treatment before a donor match was found for me, at the age of 79-years young, in October 2013.

“The kidney transplant was a success and at 82 years old, I can honestly say that I feel better than ever. I’m certainly proof of that fact that it doesn’t matter how young or old you are.

“You never know if there might come a time when you are desperately waiting for a donor in order to live.

"I talk about organ donation to family and friends often. I think it’s important to educate people about how debilitating and miserable life can be for those stuck on the transplant waiting list, and the transformation getting that donor match can make to people like me.

“Organ donation has changed in Wales and I would encourage everyone to make time as soon as possible to share their organ donation decision with loved ones, and to register their decision online. It really does transform and save lives.”

People aged 18 and over who have lived in Wales for more than 12 months, and who die in Wales, will now be regarded as having consented to organ donation unless they have opted out.

Read the full story in this week’s north editions of the Cambrian News, in shops now, or available online by clicking the digital editions link above