News

Jim Lynskey is proof why Lewis Capaldi’s organ donation song is so important

The 23-year-old is on the waiting list for a new heart because he “has no pulse”

Jim Lynskey organ donation Caters

If you need any more indication of how important Lewis Capaldi’s hit song and music video about organ donation are, look no further than Jim Lynskey.

The 23-year-old contracted viral meningitis not long after he was born, enlarging and weakening his heart.

The result was a series of cardiac arrests as an eight year old and a spot on the transplant list at 19.

Now, he has been given a Left Ventricular Assist Device – a heart pump – because of the frightening fact that he “has no pulse”. And every night he must charge the equipment at the mains to prevent it running out of battery.

“I have no pulse,” said Jim, from Redditch in Worcestershire. “This pump sends a constant flow of blood around my body rather than an organic human pulse. It can be quite bizarre sometimes when people are trying to feel for your pulse and it’s not there.”

Eventually Jim will need a new heart – but a shortage means that he faces an agonising wait.

So he is encouraging, much like Lewis Capaldi, more awareness of organ donation to provide the lifeline that he and 6,000 others on the transplant list in the UK desperately need.

The message Lynskey is trying to get out there is that people should talk with their loved ones so they know what their wishes are.

“Talk about the subject,” he says. “A lot of people will have done so, given that opt-out both in Scotland and in England is pending. It’s more vital than ever to talk about your wishes with your loved ones. Families can override consent of organ donation if that conversation hasn’t been had.

“The most important thing, as well as signing up, is talking about it among families and friends so that what you want to do is made known.”

For more on the dial-moving organ donation campaign, check out this week’s Big Issue magazine, available from vendors around the country and The Big Issue Shop.

Image: Caters

Read the full article in this week's Big Issue.
Find your vendor
Earth Day 2024

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
How this social enterprise is tackling stigma and helping neurodiverse people into work
Neurodivergent piece
Employment

How this social enterprise is tackling stigma and helping neurodiverse people into work

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby: 'We need to end short-termism to fix the housing crisis'
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
Housing crisis

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby: 'We need to end short-termism to fix the housing crisis'

DWP risks repeat of Post Office scandal with plan to snoop on claimants' bank accounts, MPs warn
dwp/ bank accounts spying
Benefits

DWP risks repeat of Post Office scandal with plan to snoop on claimants' bank accounts, MPs warn

Earth Day 2024: Big businesses must take responsibility for environmental impact, retailers say
Earth Day
Earth Day

Earth Day 2024: Big businesses must take responsibility for environmental impact, retailers say

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know