In a twist on traditional Valentine’s Day cards, this year Moonpig launched a limited-edition range of free cards encouraging people to tell their loved ones that they’re pledging their heart… to a complete stranger.
The leading online card and gift retailer has partnered up with NHS Blood and Transplant for the first time to encourage people to get organ-ised, sign up to the donor register, and crucially, share their decision. The cards will help pass on the message to loved ones, that “If anything happens to me, please remember my best bits are up for grabs by whoever needs them. Until then I’m all yours!”
The unique range of six cards aim to tickle couples into kick-starting a conversationon the awkward subject of what happens should something happen to one of them, breaking the ice with some classic love lines… reimagined, including: ‘I only have eyes for you…. unless they get donated to someone who needs them – which is also cool’ and ‘Urine my heart, urine my soul… but one day my kidney may be in someone else’.
This conversation matters because organ donation doesn’t go ahead without a family’s support, regardless of whether someone has signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register, with more than a quarter of people (28 per cent) saying they wouldn’t donate if their relative hadn’t made a decision to donate clear. The campaign aims to kick-start 6,400 conversations with the free cards – one for every person in the UK currently waiting for an organ transplant.
Two of the cards are designed by people directly involved in organ donation; Jess Harris, a thirty-year-old Londoner waiting for a kidney and pancreas transplant and Kimberly Chard who has cystic fibrosis and had a double lung transplant in 2015, as well as a card by ex JLS star JB Gill and his wife Chloe.
Jess Harris, whose card is entitled ‘When urine love’ said, “People like me worry about their future, and just want a second chance at life. We need relatives, friends and loved ones to have a conversation to make their wishes known as every donor on the register can save up to nine lives. The opportunity to design a card to help encourage this conversation means a lot – my drawing is a massive part of my life and I am so happy because this is the first time it’s been able to benefit others instead of just me.”
Adding ‘Let our hearts both beat again’ into the mix, is a card by JB Gill and his wife Chloe. The couple were eager to get involved after the son of a close friend of theirs received a heart transplant having been on the waiting list for a year.JB said “Nothing brings home the importance of organ donation more than seeing a loved one go through the agony of waiting for good news. We’ve seen first-hand how the decision to sign-up as a donor can save someone’s life. We’re honoured to be able to take part in a campaign that spreads such a vital message on Valentine’s Day.”
James Sturrock, Managing Director, Moonpig said: “Pledging your heart to a complete stranger isn’t an obvious conversation to have with your Valentine, but it’s one that could make a real difference. The free cards are designed to help couples across the country say what they really want this Valentine’s Day.”
The 65p postage fee for every card sent is being donated directly to Transplant Sport, a national charity driving awareness of the benefits of organ donation andpromoting active recovery for transplant recipients.
On average, three people die every day because of a shortage of people willing to donate making it vital you tell those closest to you that you want to donate.
Sally Johnson, NHS Blood and Transplant Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation said: “We’re so pleased to have Moonpig’s support this Valentine’s Day because talking to a loved one can save lives. We’d love everyone to send their partners a thought provoking card and tell them they want to save lives through organ donation. A Valentine’s Day card can make someone’s day – and this year it could lead to the most wonderful gift, the gift of life. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference.”
You can order the cards from moonpig.com and join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk/moonpig