Nurse Emma is Turning the Peaks Pink for Organ Donation Week
A Nurse from NHS Golden Jubilee will help turn the UK’s highest mountains pink this week for Organ and Tissue Donation Week.
Emma McColl, a Clinical Nurse Manager in the Golden Jubilee University Hospital’s cardiothoracic and heart transplant wards, will scale Ben Nevis on Friday (27 September) with her beloved rescue dog Finn, who bags Munros with her.
The climb is part of the ‘Turn the Peaks Pink’ campaign for Organ and Tissue Donation Week, when Emma will join 50 doctors and nurses from across NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government for the Ben Nevis Challenge, organised by NHS Blood and Transplant.
NHS Golden Jubilee has been the sole provider of Scottish adult heart transplants since 2008 and has now carried out 251 within the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service (SNAHFS) based in the Golden Jubilee University Hospital in Clydebank.
Staff from critical care, organ donation and transplant, administrative support, organ donor families and transplant recipients and their families will all be doing the 1,345-metre climb to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation, and the life-saving and life-changing role it plays in transplantation.
NHS staff across the UK will also be climbing the highest peaks in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland for the challenge and plan to be at the summits simultaneously at 2pm on the day.
The peaks being mounted are:
· Ben Nevis (Scotland)
· Yr Wyddfa, (North Wales)
· Pen Y Fan (South Wales)
· Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland)
· Scafell Pike (England)
Emma, from Clydebank, said: “Organ donation is something that is very close to my heart as I also used to work in liver transplant services in Cambridge before moving back to Scotland a few years ago.
“It’s amazing helping patients through their transplant journey, it’s really special and something that I love about doing my job.
“We all just want to raise awareness of organ donation and the importance of people making their wishes known to loved ones, or signing the Organ Donor Register, which can save lives.
“I’m really looking forward to this walk with my Jack Russell, Finn, who loves doing the Munros with me. Every time he reaches the summit, he does a roly-poly as if he’s celebrating completing the climb, so I’m sure he’ll love it as well.”
NHS Golden Jubilee’s Eye Centre building will also be lit up pink for this year’s Organ and Tissue Donation Week campaign from 23 to 29 September, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the NHS Organ Donor Register, with nearly 60,000 lives saved since it was created in 1994.
Lynne Ayton, Director of Heart, Lung and Diagnostic Services at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “It’s amazing to see staff from NHS Golden Jubilee and across the organ donation and transplant community come together like this.
“As well as raising awareness, Organ and Tissue Donation Week also gives us the chance to reflect and remember our organ and tissue donors and their families.
“Transplantation is only possible thanks to the generosity of organ donors. Every year, Organ and Tissue Donation Week raises awareness of the importance of making your decision known on the Organ Donation Register, as well as paying tribute to organ donors and families who have given the gift of life to others.”
Additional information
The Turn the Peaks Pink walks are being led by RAW Adventures Mountain Activities Ltd.
Organ Donation Week is a week-long campaign that takes place every year, with the aim of raising awareness about the incredible gift of organ donation.
There are 7,600 people in need of an organ transplant right now.
How you can help:
· Register to become an organ donor online or via the NHS App
· Go pink to highlight the need for more organ donors and to remind people to register their decision
· Show your support for organ donation on social media
