Miriam’s donated liver saved little Ollie’s life (Image: NHSBT)
Ollie Jolliff knows he has “a special liver” which was donated to him by 17-year-old Miriam Lee, after she died of a sudden cardiac arrest. The schoolboy, 10, was born with a genetic condition that meant his liver could not process protein, causing levels of ammonia in his blood to rise. The same condition claimed the life of his elder brother Kieran, aged just four.
Ollie’s family are sharing their story in support of an urgent appeal from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) following a sharp decline in donations. His mum Hannah, of Dorset, said: “Sadly, a transplant wasn’t an option for Kieran and he passed away at 4.5-years-old, having spent most of his life in hospital. It was incredibly difficult and we miss him every single day.
Ollie was on the transplant waiting list for 11 months (Image: NHSBT)
“When Ollie was born, four years later, he was immediately tested, diagnosed and put on medication, to help control the ammonia levels. This put him in a good position to be ready for a transplant and he was put on the transplant waiting list straight away.
“He was on the list for 11 months, time which we spent in and out of hospital, unable to travel in case we got the call and desperately hoping that Ollie would get the transplant he needed.”
The family received the call to say a match had been found in August 2016, on what would have been Keiran’s 10th birthday.
A decade on, Ollie has recovered well and is in his final year of primary school. Hannah added: ”He competes in the British Transplant Games every year, he’s got passions and interests and he’s living his life like any other 10-year-old boy. We feel incredibly lucky.
“Ollie knows he’s got a special liver, and he knows that Miriam is the special girl who gave it to him. We’re so aware of how different things could have been had Miriam and her family not made the decision to donate. It was a difficult and completely selfless decision, and we are so grateful to them.”
Miriam’s parents Nicola and David Lee, from Northamptonshire, chose to donate their daughter’s organs after she registered her decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and told them her wishes.
Nicola said: “Miriam passed from a sudden cardiac arrest; it was completely out of the blue. She’d been to pick up her AS results the day before, stayed over at a friend’s house and the next morning said she didn’t feel well. It was a complete shock. But amongst our grief, we knew we had to think about organ donation.”
Miriam donated her kidneys, liver, pancreas, corneas, ligaments and bones. Nicola added: “She wanted to offer everything she could and positively impact as many lives as possible. When we heard from Hannah and Mike and learned that Miriam’s liver had gone to tiny Ollie, it was such an emotional moment.”
The couple now meet with Ollie and his family every year at the British Transplant Games. Seeing him grow up has helped them cope with their loss, Nicola added.
Meeting Ollie was emotional and special for Miriam’s parents (Image: NHSBT)
She said Miriam “would have been so proud of what she’s done. Organ donation is difficult but it’s also extremely worthwhile – knowing that Miriam lives on in Ollie and her other recipients is special.
“We’d urge everyone to have a think about what they would want and to make their wishes known, just like Miriam did.”
NHSBT announced on Monday the launch of the first ever urgent response plan to address a significant drop in organ donation across the UK.
Deceased donation rates have declined sharply since April and are 9% below this time last year. Meanwhile, the transplant waiting list continues to rise and now exceeds 8,700. Only 1% of people in the UK die in circumstances where donation is possible and the pool of eligible donors has reduced by around 20% since 2019/20.
Health chiefs are working to identify more potential donors and improve tests for neurological death, which could reduce delays and ensure more organs are viable.
They are also appealing for the public’s help and seeking one million more people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register by the end of this year. England now has an opt-out system but families are still consulted — so making your wishes known is crucial.
More than 700 potential donations did not go ahead between April 2021 and March 2026 because families did not know for certain what their loved one would have wanted.
Each deceased donor typically donates three organs, meaning around 2,127 transplant opportunities were missed. Family consent rates have dropped from 67% in 2020/21 to 57% last year.
Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT’s director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, said: “We are facing one of the most challenging periods for organ donation in over a decade. There is a simple action the public can take to help save lives. Please sign the NHS Organ Donor Register.
“Most of us would accept an organ if we needed one but opportunities to save lives are being lost because families didn’t know what their loved ones wanted. Leave them certain.
“It takes two minutes to confirm an organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Each donor can potentially save up to nine lives. Visit organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23, or use the NHS App.”
This is the biggest challenge we have faced in a decade, says ROMMEL RAVANAN
Nine people currently die waiting for a transplant every week in the UK. Behind that stark figure are parents, partners, children and friends whose lives could be saved through the generosity of organ donors.
Over the last five years, more than 700 potential donations did not go ahead because families were unsure what their loved one would have wanted. As a result, more than 2,100 transplant opportunities were missed.
Due to a significant and accelerating decline in organ donors, NHS Blood and Transplant is now taking the unprecedented step of launching an urgent response plan to tackle this issue.
The reality is concerning. Organ donation rates are currently 9% lower than they were at this point last year. At the same time, the number of people waiting for a transplant has reached a record high of more than 8,700.
We are facing the most challenging period for organ donation in over a decade. NHS teams are introducing urgent measures to maximise every donation opportunity, but there is one simple action the public can take that could also save lives.
We are asking one million people to confirm their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register this year.
The need has never been more urgent. Over the last five years, family consent rates have fallen from 67% to 57%. However, we know that when families are aware of a loved one’s decision, they support donation 90% of the time.
Confirming your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register website takes just two minutes and can potentially save up to nine lives.
Most of us would be willing to accept an organ if we needed one. The question is whether we are prepared to help others if given the opportunity.
— Rommel Ravanan, NHSBT’s chief medical officer
