Why Gordon is happy to go '˜taps aff' on TV

Organ Donation Week starts on Monday and NHS Lanarkshire is urging local residents to show their support by joining the Organ Donor Register.

Gordon underwent a transplant aged just 13 after being born with a congenital heart defect.

He stripped off for the TV advert to reveal his transplant scar on screen, delivering the message that organ donation saves lives, as someone who knows first-hand.

Gordon said: “Because of my donor, I was able to grow into a teenager, play football, pass my driving test, get my first job and get married - things I’m grateful for every day.

“Stripping for a TV advert was certainly not an average day at the office, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

“I genuinely would do almost anything to make people realise how life changing organ donation is.”

NHS Lanarkshire medical director Dr Iain Wallace, chairman of the health board’s Organ Donation Committee, said: “Organ donation offers the opportunity to give the gift of life.

“It not only helps transform an individual’s life, it also transforms the lives of the family and friends who have been supporting them while waiting for a transplant.

He added: “Lanarkshire’s commitment to increasing organ donation was underlined in July when the British Transplant Games were hosted here.

“The Games were a fantastic celebration of the energy and enthusiasm of people who have had a transplant and it’s vital that we continue the momentum the event created to encourage others to join the register.

“By signing up you can ensure that you have the opportunity to make a huge difference to the lives of those who would benefit from a transplant.

“And remember to tell your relatives about your organ donation decision, as families are twice as likely to honour your choice if they know that’s what you would have wanted.”

The TV ad campaign shows people of all ages, shapes, sizes and ethnicities baring almost all to highlight that anyone can be an organ donor.

Across Scotland, there are 4,345 people who are alive today thanks to organ donors and their families.

As a nation, 45 per cent of people have already shared their decision to become an organ donor by joining the Register – but there are still nearly 600 people waiting on a life-saving transplant.

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit www.organdonationscotland.org.