PARENTS need to consider putting their children on the organ donor register.

It is a horrible thought – your child’s body being harvested for organs after they have died, but one donor can save, on average, nine lives.

That’s nine families who won’t have to go through the heartbreak of losing a child early because they couldn’t find a match.

Often, the first time parents are introduced to the idea of signing their child onto the organ register is after they have just died when, understandably, it’s the last thing they would probably want to think about.

17 children died in the UK in 2017/18 while awaiting organ transplants that never came and there are currently 38 waiting for matches.

From 2020 adults in England will be considered potential donors unless they choose to opt out or are excluded thanks to the Organ Donation Bill having received Royal Assent in March. But this doesn’t include under 18s.

Sitting down with your partner and child and discussing all going onto the register could save so many lives.