The family of a 19-year-old man with cystic fibrosis are appealing for more people to register as organ donors.

Richard Ogden desperately needs a heart-and-lung transplant if he is to survive more than a few weeks.

For the last year he has been treated at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, but doctors say his time is running out.

"It is critical in Richard's case that he has a transplant. If he doesn't he will die, "said Nick Ogden, Richard's father.

Brave youngster

"The emotional pressure of waiting for the phone to ring, but knowing that will only happen if there is a tragedy, is tremendous."

Richard's mother and stepfather, Veronica and Mike Bowden from Edmondthorpe, near Melton Mowbray say the waiting is an agony they do not want others to endure.

Richard may have only a few weeks to live

Veronica Bowden said: "I would like everybody to pick up a form and dial the register and get a form and fill it in.

About 9m people are on the organ donor register in England, but from a population of 57m, that is a small proportion."

John Wallwork, consultant surgeon at Papworth, said: "Unfortunately the tragedy is that there are organs from people who die from accidents that we don't get access to because they haven't thought about it or told anyone they'd like to be a donor."

Mike Bodwen said: "He is the bravest young man I have ever met in my life... a lot of people moan, but Richard hardly moans at all.

Richard's mother said: "He is 20 on October 23 and the best gift he could get is a healthy lung."

She added that he is just one of more than 5,000 people in the UK waiting for an organ transplant.