A SALISBURY transplant recipient is fast gaining support for her petition to reform the organ and tissue donation system and has more than 1,800 signatures.

Lucy Ryan, who had a heart transplant a month before her third birthday, now has her sight set on boosting that number to 2,000 in time for national Transplant Week on September 7-13.

The petition is calling on the government to introduce a soft opt-out system of organ and tissue donation in the UK. this system will be introduced in Wales in December.

The 25-year-old said: “It’s amazing we’ve reached the milestone of 1,000 but it’s bittersweet. I think a lot of it is due to the fact two people within a group of about 600 plus,who keep in touch on the internet, died. One was a young baby whose mum was already a strong supporter of the soft opt-out reform, and she has been promoting the petition even more since her daughters death. We had just over 750 signatures and thanks to her it’s now over 1,300.

“It’s horrible that a baby waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant that never came had to die for this surge in signatures, but I’m hoping at least something positive can come out of it her child’s untimely death.”

As part of the soft opt-out system people would be automatically signed up to the donor register and will be given the option to opt out, which Lucy believes will help boost donor numbers.

The petition also proposes that everyone is initially signed up to donate all their tissue and organs from the age of 16 but can opt out of donating certain tissue or body parts.

Lucy added: “We’re well on our way to 2,000 signatures which is fantastic and hopefully in time for transplant awareness week.”

Figures show 22 Wiltshire residents have died waiting for a transplant in the past five years and 102 people in the county are currently waiting for a transplant. And across the UK in 2014/15, the number of people donating organs fell for the first time in 11 years.

Thanks to her transplant Lucy has been able to lead an active life and last month competed in the British Transplant Games — winning a gold in the 3K walking race and a bronze in the 100m sprint.

Sign the petition at change.org and search 'soft opt-out'.