A 14-YEAR-OLD girl who is waiting for a lung transplant has become a young ambassador for organ donation.

Jessica Paddock, who has end stage cystic fibrosis, hopes telling her story will encourage more people to sign up to the organ donor register.

She became involved with the charity Live Life Give Life when she made friends through Facebook with Kirstie Tancock, a fellow cystic fibrosis sufferer who appeared in a BBC documentary Love on the Transplant List.

She said: “Kirstie has had a transplant and she has been involved with the charity for a long time. I asked how I could get involved and she said I could become a young ambassador. We need more children to sign up, there are hardly any children’s lungs on the register because people feel they are too young to be donors, but anyone can be a donor.

“I feel quite proud knowing that I am not just waiting for lungs, I’m doing something about it. Even if I don’t get lungs, I may save somebody else.”

Jessica’s condition has worsened dramatically since January. She has to use a wheelchair all the time now, needs oxygen and has to spend two weeks in Salisbury District Hospital for every four weeks she is at home in Winterbourne Earls. Her parents can’t leave her unattended at home and she needs trained nurses to help her.

Her mother Cheryl said: “It’s been quite a traumatic time for her, but she doesn’t want to just sit around and wait for a transplant. We’ve had two calls, but her antibodies were too much of a mismatch with the donors.”

There are ten to 12 children on a lung transplant waiting list at Great Ormond Street Hospital at any one time. Because Jessica is older, she could have a new treatment where doctors trim a young adult’s lungs to fit, but there still aren’t enough people on the organ donor register.

Just one donor can save up to seven lives and Mrs Paddock said: “Her quality of life would be totally changed by transplant. She wouldn’t need a wheelchair, or get breathless, and she’d be able to play with her little sister. There’s so much she wants to do.

“People should make sure their family knows their wishes and, if you do register, always carry your organ donor card.”

To find out more go to livelifegivelife.org.uk.