AN Oakworth couple whose daughter’s death helped transform the lives of countless others are encouraging families to talk about organ donation.

Claire McKeown – who was just 32 – was killed by a drunk driver in July, 2011.

Her donated organs saved – or improved – the lives of more than half a dozen people.

Now her parents, Martin and Sally Walker, are stressing the importance of organ donation and urging people to “make the gift of life”.

They were speaking following a seminar held in Keighley to debate the issue.

“Claire died on her way with friends to a traditional country village wedding – she had been married herself for less than two years,” said Martin, a town councillor, and Sally, a former councillor and town mayor.

“The decision to donate her organs was not ours to make, as Simon was her next of kin, but we took a family decision based on the conversations we had with Claire when she joined the donor list.

“Our designated organ donation nurse could not have been more helpful – she went through a ‘shopping list’ of suitable organs which could be transplanted.

“In Claire’s case, she was able to save or improve the lives of a number of people – her liver went to a 21-year-old woman with less than a week to live, a six-year-old boy on dialysis for two years received her kidney, and a 55-year-old father-of-three received part of her bowel. All three recipients fully recovered. In addition, Claire’s heart valves and corneas brought new hope to others, and so improved their lives too.”

They added: “From April next year, ‘Max and Keira’s Law’ will make organ donation an ‘opt-in’ service, rather than ‘opt-out’ as at present. This means everyone suitable will be assumed to have chosen to be a donor.

“We will always need more blood and transplant donors. Three people die every day without receiving a transplant and today there are over 7,000 people awaiting a transplant.

“The message is very clear – have the discussion now with your family and choose to make the gift of life.”

The couple were among those who attended the seminar, at Keighley Civic Centre.

The event was organised by the town’s MP, John Grogan, in conjunction with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, KidneyCare UK, NHS Blood and Transplant and Keighley Town Council.

It was opened by the town mayor, Councillor Peter Corkindale.

More information was given about the new law, which will mean all adults in England will be considered a potential donor if they die on a ventilator unless they’ve chosen to opt out – although the family of the deceased will still have the final say.

There was a wide range of speakers, including specialist nurses, organ recipients and the families of donors.

Mr Grogan described the seminar as “encouraging, inspiring and informative”.

He added: “I was impressed with the specialist nurses and the care they take at Airedale Hospital with bereaved families and the respect they show to the body of the organ donor.

“There were stark statistics given that those from Asian backgrounds have to wait on average six months longer for a transplant because of a lack of suitable donors from the Kashmiri and Bangladeshi communities.

“Clearly, for many, organ donation is a matter of life and death and whatever our background it is something that perhaps we all should give thought to.”

Karl Mainprize, medical director at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said it was a “really great” event. He added: “Raising awareness of the new opt-out system will improve numbers of organ donation.”