A young woman who underwent a life-saving heart transplant has called on more Scots to join the organ donor register.
Samantha Bell, 29, said signing up to the register is the "most amazing thing anyone can do". She spoke as it was revealed four out of 10 of Scots have joined the register - the highest proportion in the UK.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said it shows that the country is "on the right track" as he too urged more people to sign up to become organ donors in the event of their death.
A new campaign to encourage Scots to do that was launched on Monday, with Ms Bell, from Cambuslang, giving it her backing. The bank worker was just 22 when she was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy, a condition normally associated with middle age and which means the heart can stop at any time.
She was fitted with a mini defibrillator inside her chest to help regulate her heartbeat and shock her heart back into life if it stops beating, but after five years her condition deteriorated, and her heart stopped one night while she was out for dinner with her boyfriend and his family.
In February last year she was assessed for a transplant and the next month was put on the waiting list. Just two months later she became seriously ill and was admitted to Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank.
She recalled: "I desperately needed a new heart and doctors moved me onto the urgent heart transplant list. I didn't have time to wait, if I didn't get a new heart soon I would die."
After eight weeks on the list a suitable heart became available, and Ms Bell underwent her transplant in July. The transplant was a success and more than a year later the 29-year-old is looking to the future.
She said: "Joining the NHS Organ Donor Register is the most amazing thing anyone can do. I would encourage everyone to take two minutes and join now. Remember to let your family know what your wishes are so they can act on them if necessary.
New figures show that, as of October 4, a total of 2,116,475 people in Scotland are signed up to be organ donors. But around 600 people in Scotland are waiting for a life-saving transplant, and across the UK three people die every day because they do not get the organ they need in time.
