THE mother of a girl whose life was saved by a liver transplant has welcomed a law which will make donating organs upon death an automatic procedure.

The Government has confirmed that from May 20, all adults will be considered as having agreed to donate their organs when they die, unless they record a decision not to donate.

Figures show there are 83,067 people in the Colchester borough on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

As of December 31 last year, nine people were on the waiting list for a transplant.

Little Isabella-Faith Wragg, aged four, underwent a liver transplant in Kings College Hospital, London, in September. She has chronic liver disease and endured a 17-month wait on her road to securing a donor.

Mum Rachel Gledhill, from Colchester, said there is “no reason” not to to be an organ donor.

“You can save more than one life,” she said.

“You do not need your organs when you’re gone, other people might.

“If it is going to save someone, especially a little child who doesn’t have a clue what they are going through, what reason do you have not to do it?”

Isabella-Faith is far from out of the woods, with the first year following a successful transplant proving the riskiest.

“She’s doing okay bless her heart, she has been through possible rejection twice and at the moment she is taking medication for potential tuberculosis,” Rachel said.

“She has blood tests twice a week and she is on so much medication.

“Although she had the transplant, her numbers haven’t been good, so they are working on that.

“But she is absolutely loving school, we can’t keep her away.”

Those excluded from the new law include people under the age of 18, those who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements and take the necessary action; and people who have lived in England for less than 12 months.

Even after the law changes, families will still be involved before any donation goes ahead and NHS Blood and nurses will continue to speak with families about their loved one’s decision.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ donation and transplantation for NHS Blood, said: “The majority of people tell us they support organ donation in principle, yet only around 4 in 10 have actually registered their decision.

“Organ donation is and always will be a precious gift.”