Couple saved by organ donation urge people to join donor register

A York couple who each received life‑saving transplants say organ donation brought them together and are urging people to confirm their decision on the NHS organ donor register as one of them now waits for a kidney transplant.

Richard and Wendy Caulkin, from York, both had life‑saving transplants and recently marked their 10th wedding anniversary. They met after their operations at the British Transplant Games in 2013. Wendy received a new heart in 2011 and Richard had a double lung transplant in 2009. Wendy’s kidneys have since failed, reportedly as a side effect of immunosuppressant drugs, and she is preparing to begin dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant. Key facts: - Both Richard and Wendy have previously received transplants: Wendy had a heart transplant in 2011 and Richard had a double lung transplant in 2009. - The couple met at the British Transplant Games in 2013 and married with donor cards included among their wedding favours. - Wendy’s kidney failure is reported as a side effect of drugs taken to protect her transplanted heart; she will start dialysis and needs a deceased‑donor kidney because she does not have a living donor. - NHS Blood and Transplant said the UK transplant waiting list has reached record levels, cited about 8,200 people waiting, and reported urging people to confirm their decision on the organ donor register. Summary: The couple describe organ donation as having given them life and a decade together, while Wendy now faces a renewed wait for another transplant and the start of dialysis. The national waiting list figure reported by NHS Blood and Transplant is about 8,200 people; timing for a matching kidney for Wendy is undetermined at this time.