THE parents of a young man who has died after a long battle with Cystic Fibrosis have urged people to register for organ donation.

Adam Fletcher, aged 23, who worked at Bury Police Station, had been on the waiting list for a double lung and heart transplant for a year.

His devastated parents, Julie and Andrew Fletcher, said: “If more people were on the register Adam would have had a chance.

“It wouldn’t have been a cure, but he could have lived longer. The more people that are on it, the better chance others have.”

Motorbike fanatic Adam was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) but managed to live a fulfilling life, attending Bury Grammar School and Bury College.

He travelled Europe, attending MotoGP races and going camping in his beloved Volkswagen campervan.

He loved fishing, Manchester United, spending time with his two Jack Russells, and had recently taken up photography.

He had worked in administration at the police station for the last four years.

Over the past year, Adam’s condition deteriorated and in July 2010 he was put on the waiting list for a donor.

Doctors never found a successful match and about three months ago he was taken into Wythenshawe Hospital where he died on July 12.

A funeral was held last Thursday with a guard of honour outside Bury Police Station, followed by a service at Radcliffe Crematorium, attended by about 200 people.

Mrs Fletcher, aged 48, of Ribchester Drive, Bury, said: “A lot of people didn’t even know he had CF because he was private, he never wanted any special treatment.

“He had a wicked sense of humour. He was very brave and courageous. He never complained, and was always positive.”

CF is one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited diseases, affecting more than 9,000 people in the UK.

It is caused by a faulty gene which more than two million people in the UK carry.

The disease affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus, making it hard to breathe and digest food. Each week, five babies are born with CF and only half of those living with the illness are likely to live past their late 30s.

To register for organ donation: visit uktransplant.org.uk To donate to Adam’s charity for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust: visit justgiving.com/adamfletcher1.