A Bath student who almost lost her sister is meeting with ministers today to discuss ways to boost number of people on the organ donor register.

Abby Thackray, 21, of Lower Bristol Road, was 16 when her older sister Emily needed a double lung transplant.

Now along with her friend Hope Milne, 15, whose younger brother had a bowel transplant after intestinal failure, she is meeting with Shadow Health Minister Anne Milton and the minister with responsibility for Political and Constitutional Reform Mark Harper.

They will be discussing the possibility of adding a box on electoral forms to allow people to tick to sign up to the organ donor register.

Bath Spa University student Abby said the idea came from Chippenham  Lib Dem MP Duncan Hames.

She said: “Mr Hames suggested it, and I thought it was a brilliant idea.

“These forms will go out to every adult in the UK, and so having the option of joining the donor register on it will raise awareness.

“I am so pleased that we are actually being given the chance to talk to them about this.

“People don’t like to talk about death because it scares them, but the other side of organ donation is such a positive thing, watching people get better and suddenly being able to do all the things they couldn’t do before is amazing.”

Emily, 26, who lives in Surrey, was born with cystic fibrosis, which affects internal organs by clogging them with thick mucus, making it hard to breathe and digest food.

She managed the disease well throughout her childhood, but became tired and struggled to breathe while at university, and was put on the waiting list for a double lung transplant.

While waiting her condition deteriorated and her family were told to say their goodbyes.

However, a week later she received the call she had been waiting for and had her transplant.

Abby and Hope are young campaigners for Channel 4’s Battlefront.

Find out more about the campaigns at www.battlefront.co.uk.

The organ donation episode will air on Sunday December 4, at 8.50am.

More than 10,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant and three people a day die before one is available.

Only 27 per cent of the population are on the register.

People can sign up to become organ donors by calling 0300 1232323 or visiting www.organdonation.nhs.uk.