Be a LonDonor: Building a living legacy for East London and beyond

Dr Raj Thuraisingham (Consultant Nephrologist at Royal London Hospital and member of the ESOT Congress Scientific Committee)

Very few decisions are as profound or generous as choosing to become an organ donor. For someone awaiting a transplant, that choice can be the gift of life itself.

Yet in 2025, despite a national opt-out system in place since 2020, thousands across the UK remain on waiting lists - their futures uncertain. In fact, waiting lists have nearly doubled since 2021, and East London is among the hardest-hit areas in the country.

So why are we still falling short? Part of the answer lies in pockets of the capital where hesitancy, misinformation, and historical mistrust have limited donor registrations. In boroughs spanning Tower Hamlets to Newham, home to some of the UK’s most ethnically diverse communities, donation rates remain below the national average, even as local need rises.

The impact of this disparity is deeply felt. In 2023/24, four out of five organs transplanted in the UK came from white donors. Since successful transplants often rely heavily on close genetic matches, patients from ethnic minority backgrounds typically wait longer for suitable donors. Encouraging donor registration within these communities is therefore essential to shorten these waits and improve outcomes - not just for individuals, but for entire patient populations.

When the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) convenes at ExceL London this week for its international congress, its leaders are making an urgent plea: to “Be a LonDonor.” The campaign isn’t a just slogan; it’s a movement to transform short-term enthusiasm into long‑term cultural change, and a legacy in the truest sense of the word.

In the world of transplantation, legacy is measured in years added to recipients’ lives and in the ripple effect on families, friends, and communities. Each donor can save up to nine lives and improve many more through tissue donation. That impact multiplies over decades and translates into children raised, businesses built, ideas born, all because of that one decision to say yes.

But legacy also requires infrastructure: trust‑building initiatives, education, and visible reminders that reinforce a culture of donation long after a congress leaves. Without this, even the most compelling awareness drives fade. The ESOT Legacy Project aims to ensure the momentum sparked in June and July becomes a self‑sustaining force in East London, and beyond.

Community Tribute Design Competition

Art has always been a shorthand for collective memory, capturing and expressing the stories that matter to communities. ESOT’s open‑call design competition invites young designers to create a temporary or permanent installation that honours donors and sparks everyday conversations. By embedding the story of transplantation into East London’s environment, the project aims to celebrate the life-changing gift of donation and its positive impact on recipients. Submissions close 30 November 2025.

ESOT Congress Student Programme

Ten fourth‑year medical students from Queen Mary University of London have spent the 2024–25 academic year unpacking why local donation rates remain low in East London. Guided by specialists in nephrology, transplant surgery, and anaesthesia, their research interrogates cultural, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers. The students’ final reports, which are now complete, will inform NHS Blood and Transplant outreach in East London and model how academic‑community partnerships can create lasting reform.

Community Open Day

On 28 June, Royal Victoria Square will transform into an interactive learning hub. Alongside eight charities, including Kidney Care UK, Diabetes UK, and the Caribbean and African Health Network, clinicians and donor families will demystify transplantation, bust myths, and help residents check or update their donor status on the spot. By meeting people where they are, the Open Day aims to build the trust required for families to honour a loved one’s wishes when it matters most.

Creating a lasting culture of donation means moving beyond awareness toward action, and from individual choice to collective legacy. Whether through design, education, or a conversation at a community stall, every step matters. And in East London and beyond, that legacy begins with one powerful decision: to be a donor.

For more information on the ESOT Legacy Project, click here.