Carrickfergus woman who received multi-organ transplant as a child backs Public Health Agency's 'One in a Million' call

It comes as new figures show families are far more likely to support organ donation when they know their loved one’s wishes.

Nineteen-year-old Connie Taylor from Carrick received her multi-organ transplant in 2008, made possible only because her donor's family supported his decision to give life to another.

"I was born with a rare condition that meant my digestive and urinary organs didn't have adequate muscle function,” Connie said.

"Upon diagnosis, I was subsequently put on the transplant waiting list. There was over a year of anxious waiting as my health continued to decline, but I received my transplant in 2008 at 13 months old in Birmingham Children's Hospital, when the right donor match was found just in time.

"I was lucky enough to receive a liver, stomach, pancreas and small bowel from a young boy who sadly passed away in an accident. His mother's brave decision to donate his organs saved not only my life but, I understand, at least three others. I am eternally grateful to both of them. Of course, such a complex medical condition has not come without its challenges. Navigating school alongside medication, appointments and a permanent ileostomy (from the age of two days old) had its ups and downs but thanks to my incredibly supportive family and friends, I have since flourished and become incredibly confident in my condition.

"Lately, I have been living my life to the fullest. I attend Ulster University, Belfast, for Screen Production and take any opportunity I can to perform onstage as part of Queen's Musical Theatre Society. I have also found a lot of creative passions with crochet, baking and filmmaking. I hope to one day use my skills in the film industry to promote organ donation and share its importance with the world. I strongly encourage everyone and anyone to sign up for organ donation as you could give someone like me a second chance at life."

The Public Health Agency has echoed NHS Blood and Transplant’s call for one million people across the UK to register their decision to be an organ donor, with a new plan aiming for 30 million people to be registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register by the end of the year.

The challenge comes as figures show family consent for donation has fallen across the UK from 69 percent in 2020/21 to 57 percent in 2025/26, and in Northern Ireland from 79 percent to 64 percent, even though 90 percent of people in NI support organ donation and 59 percent are already registered.

The reason this matters is stark: almost 90 percent of families support donation going ahead when they know their loved one's wishes, but this drops to just 50 percent when they are unsure.

In 2025, 167 families across the UK, including seven in NI, felt unable to support their relative's registered or expressed decision to donate.

The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report for the UK, published on August 5, shows that in 2025/26:

– 1,428 people donated organs after death (54 in NI);

– 4,666 patients received an organ transplant (143 in NI);

– The number of living donors in NI increased from 68 to 72.

Some 8,296 patients in the UK were on the active transplant waiting list as of March 31, 2026, the highest number on record, with 143 from NI.

NI saw 10 more deceased donors and 23 more transplants than the previous year, but the gap between donors and those waiting continues to widen.

Registering a decision saves lives, but talking about it matters just as much. A conversation leaves families in no doubt about what their loved one wanted, making it easier to honour that decision if the time comes.

Catherine McKeown, Organ Donation Promotion Manager at the PHA, said: "We understand that when families are approached about organ donation, they make difficult decisions at an already tragic time. That's why we're asking people to be 'One in a Million' – to help drive up the number of decisions recorded on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

"It gives your family the certainty that you want donation to go ahead, in the rare event that it's possible – only 1 percent of people will ever be in a position to donate their organs after death, which is exactly why every registration counts.

"I would urge anyone who hasn't already done so to express your decision to donate via the Organ Donor Register and to discuss it with family. It is the best way to leave them certain of your decision and to help them honour it should the time come, and it could mean you go on to be a lifesaver."

It takes just two minutes to register your decision at organdonationni.info, then talk to your family about your wishes.

Organ donation in NI moved to an opt-out system in 2023 under Dáithí's Law, which has facilitated over a third of deceased donors here in the past year.

Donation can still only go ahead with a family's support, which is why registering a decision and talking about it remains essential.

Dáithí's dad Máirtín Mac Gabhann knows this better than most, having received the call for a life-saving heart for Dáithí after an agonising eight year wait. “Even though Dáithí is only at the very beginning of his recovery, we’ve already seen just how transformational organ donation really is,” Máirtín said.

“We’ll never be able to thank Dáithí’s donor family enough. In the darkest moment of their lives, they chose to give life to another family. They haven’t just saved Dáithí’s life. They have hopefully given a future back to all of us.”