Midfielder goes to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
Huddersfield Town midfielder Scott Arfield visited Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on Tuesday afternoon to pay his respects to a memorial for those who have saved or enhanced lives through organ donation.
Scott visited the new honeycomb memorial, designed by Salendine Nook schoolboy Ben Holmes, from Edgerton, ahead of Saturday’s ‘Give and Let Live’ match against Bolton Wanderers.
The Scotsman is pictured with Ben and the Trust’s transplant staff.
Trust doctors and nursing staff will again be mingling with the crowds at the Stadium on Saturday giving out leaflets and advice and information in a bid to boost awareness and increase numbers on the organ donation register.
After the last ‘Give and Let Live’ match in January against Oldham, the donor register soared by 9,000 nationally.
The Trust’s specialist transplant nurse, Jayne Greenhalgh, said: “We could not have been more welcome at the last match and it is great to think all this increased awareness is now making a real difference and lives are being saved. We would urge people to join the register to help others live after they are gone but also, very importantly, to make sure their families are aware of their wishes.”
Since April, the Trust’s teams have supported five families in Halifax and Huddersfield through the donation process after losing loved ones. As a result, more than 30 lives have been saved or enhanced. The Trust now has two honeycomb-shaped memorials for patients who have become donors at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital
To find out how to become an organ donor, click on the Trust’s website - www.cht.nhs.uk - and click on the icon on the home page.
Latest figures show there are more than 40 people in the Huddersfield area waiting for kidney transplants with others on the waiting lists for hearts, lungs and livers. David Horsfall - husband of Town employee Hilary - is one; read more about his story HERE.
Saturday’s game is also being supported by Heart Research UK – an issue that is very close to Bolton Wanderers given the highly publicised cardiac arrest their player Fabrice Muamba suffered on the pitch at Tottenham Hotspur in March 2012.
Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle encouraged fans to back the campaign:
"Supporting the Organ Donation drive is very important as it can make a massive difference to people directly affected. As a man with a family I would ask everyone to think about how it could affect you and the people you love and I would urge everyone that can to register their interest."
Get your ticket for Saturday's game against Bolton - click HERE!
