TRANSPLANT patients have spoken of the agony of waiting for life-transforming organs as new figures revealed more than 80 people in East Lancashire are in the queue for donations.

Ribble Valley student Stephanie Robinson, who has been waiting seven months for a kidney, wakes up each morning ‘terrified and hopeful’ it will be the day the good news comes.

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Blackburn mother-of-one Sadia Rafiq and Accrington mum-of-four Paula Fox also both said how the waiting for an organ to be found and matched was the worst part of the process.

Meanwhile, Burnley father-of-two Daniel Ashworth, who waited three years for his transplant, spoke of how he had feared every day that a suitable organ would never become available.

Now 18 months after a successful kidney transplant and back at work, he said: “It has transformed my life and that of my wife Samantha and my children Thomas, 15, and Lucie, 11.”

Emily Linaker, from Hoghton, who received a heart transplant three years ago, said: “I can do everything a 17-year-old should do now.

“The six months waiting for the operation, when I was really ill, were terrifying.

“There was always the possibility an organ would not become available in time.”

All five have appealed for people to sign the organ donor register and ensure their families are fully aware of their decision.

NHS Blood and Transplant have revealed there were 84 patients waiting for organs across East Lancashire.

The last available statistics broken down by districts showed in Blackburn with Darwen the figure was 13; in Burnley 13; in Hyndburn 17; in Pendle 10; in Ribble Valley 13; in Rossendale nine; and in Chorley nine.

It also revealed in the thee years to March 31 2016, 13 people across Lancashire died before receiving the organ they needed while 74 received transplants.

In August the total number of people in Lancashire waiting for a transplant was 153.

Sally Johnson, director of organ donation and transplantation, said although more people than ever were donating organs after death, four out of 10 UK families still vetoed their decision.

She also highlighted the need for more donors from the black and ethnic minority communities.

Angela Ditchfield, specialist organ donation nurse at the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: “Every donor is extremely precious and can save up to nine lives and improve the quality life of many others.

“There are nearly 7,000 people in the UK waiting for a life saving organ transplant and three people each day will die whilst waiting.

“Living a life knowing that you desperately need a life saving organ transplant is extremely hard.

“As well as being unwell, your whole life is on hold, hoping that someone will donate to save them.

“We need to encourage more people to become organ donors and do something amazing by making the decision to save lives.”

Longridge High School pupil Stephanie,15 from Chipping, has 10 hours of home dialysis every day.

She said: “Every day is terrifying but also hopeful that the call will come about an organ.

“There are lots of thing I cannot do, like go on holiday, go out with my friends or have a sleep over.

“If I get a kidney it will transform my life so I appeal to everyone to sign up to the register and tell their families about it.”

Her mother Susan, 51, agreed to donate her late husband Mark’s organs six years ago.

She said: “Stephanie needs a match, which I cannot offer as I have suffered breast cancer.

“I would like every family to ensure they are on the register and have had the conversation about organ donation.”

She is campaigning to change the law for a register where people ‘opt out’ of donation rather than ‘opt-in’.”

Emily said: “The waiting was the worst.

“I was ill for two years but waiting for the call once I was on the transplant list was really scary.

“People should start the conversation with their families and get on the register.”

Mr Ashworth, 42, from Rosegrove, spoke of how he had been on 10 hours dialysis a day and had been unable work.

He said: “Waiting on the list, hoping an organ would come in time was really scary and frustrating.

“A couple of times we thought I was in line for one and then it fell through at the last moment.

“My daughter Lucie got really upset and worried but everything has turned round now.

“I would urge people to get on the organ donation register and make sure their families know.”

Mrs Rafiq, 34 from Wensley Fold, is a strong backer of community organisation One Voice’s campaign for more black and ethnic minority organ donors.

She said: “Being on the waiting list for a new kidney for 11 months was the worst bit.

“You can be taken of it for all sorts of reasons at any time.

“We need more donors, especially from ethnic minorities.”

Mrs Fox, 32, waited three years for her kidney transplant.

She said: “It was really scary waiting to find a match and whether the operation could go ahead and would be successful.

“The more people who go on the organ donation register, the shorter the wait for people who need a transplant.”