麻豆约拍

Good morning.聽 When Britain鈥檚 first heart transplant operation was carried out on this day in 1968 it was an amazing achievement. It built on the pioneering work of Christian Barnard in South Africa and I remember as a child thinking how astonishing it was, that a healthy heart could be transplanted from one body to another to extend someone鈥檚 life. The first recipient only lived for 46 days, but since then improved techniques mean that currently just under 200 heart transplants are performed each year in the UK and over three-quarters of heart transplant patients will live for over 5 years after the operation.聽聽

It鈥檚 hard to overestimate the difference such a transplant can make to a person鈥檚 life. I knew a young woman called Emma who suffered a debilitating illness for many years. For her a heart transplant enabled a year of grace; a chance to do and explore things she couldn鈥檛 otherwise have dreamed of; and a year in which she inspired the lives of all those who knew her. But I鈥檓 equally aware that every such transplant requires a donor, the gift of life from those whose life has come to an end. This is a complex process which requires difficult decisions at a sensitive time for those who are still grieving. There are different religious traditions to be observed as well as family feelings to be considered. But it seems to me, as someone seeking to follow in the way of Jesus who laid down his life for his friends, that there is nevertheless something profoundly positive about organ donation, and the readiness to offer new life in the presence of death.

Loving God,

Christian faith speaks of the depth of your love for us in the life, death and resurrection of your Son; help us to respond with similar generosity and to be supportive of all those involved in the difficult decisions that make transplant operations possible. For Christ鈥檚 sake, Amen.