Can we count on you?
You many not have thought organ donation is something that affects you. But as Asian people, we're at least three times more likely to need a kidney transplant than the rest of the population. That's because we're much more likely to develop illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease, which can lead to organ failure.
That's not all. Donated organs need to be carefully matched to the recipient to ensure blood and tissue groups are compatible. But there is an acute shortage of donors from Asian communities.
This means Asian people have to wait on average about twice as long as a white person for a kidney transplant. Right now over 1170 Asian people in the UK, some of them small children, are waiting for a transplant. Some of them will die waiting - and that's not funny.
Nina Wadia
Comedienne
Can we count on you to become a life-saver?
