Members buzzed with questions at our January meeting when Raj Bhinda came along to talk to us about organ donation.  Raj is a Specialist Nurse in the NHS Eastern Organ Donation Services Team and he dealt with this difficult subject in an interesting and respectful manner.  We learnt that there are two kinds of donation, living and deceased and Raj explained the procedures followed after brain stem death.  We heard how health care professionals decide which organs and tissues are suitable based on a number of factors. Tthe donor can choose what he/she wishes to donate when registering on the Organ Donation Register.  As well as organs such as hearts, lungs, small bowel, pancreas, liver and kidneys, tissues can also be used including corneas, bone, heart valves, tendons and cartilage and even skin.  there is no upper age limit for tissue donation although hearts are usually donated from those under 60 years.  Raj’s talk was inspiring.  He waived his fee so we were able to take a charity collection for Anna’s Hope for children and young people with brain tumours and over £30 was raised.