Four lives saved by New Zealand accident victim

I don't know who the donor of my lung was and I haven't met their family. But if I ever do meet them, I would tell them how thankful and grateful I am for the gift of life they gave me and that their loved one is now part of me and I say silent thanks to them every single day. The family of Barry MacIntyre can take comfort in knowing that he his living on in four other people whose lives he has saved.

LIFE SAVER: Barry Mac Intyre's kidneys and liver were transplanted into two 60-year-old men and a 56-year-old woman. His heart went to a 21-year-old woman.

By Giles Brown The Press

A West Coast man killed in a road accident has helped save four people via organ transplants.

Barry MacIntyre, 39, died after being hit by a campervan in his home town of Harihari on April 13.

His kidneys and liver were transplanted into two 60-year-old men and a 56-year-old woman, while his heart was given to a 21-year-old woman.

Rural nurse specialist Gayle Lindley said the donations meant MacIntrye "lives on".

"Although he isn't here any more, part of him lives on. He has made a huge impact on four lives," she said.

MacIntyre's father, Clyde, 64, said it was some solace to him and wife Jill, 61, that their son's organs had been able to help so many people.

Barry MacIntyre, a goldminer and sawmiller, died the day after the accident, and a medical team from Auckland flew to Grey Base Hospital to take the organs north with them.

By 4.30pm the next day Organ Donation New Zealand had informed the MacIntyres that their son's precious donations had been successfully transplanted.

Clyde MacIntyre, who lives in Queenstown, believed his son would have been pleased to help others. "It's a wee bit of compensation," he said.

MacIntyre said he shared the O Rh-negative blood type with his son, which meant their organs were compatible with "virtually anyone".

"It was his wish and we were quite happy to go along with it, especially because of his blood type," he said.

Lindley said Barry MacIntyre had played a big part in fundraising for a HeartStart MRx monitoring and defibrillating machine for the Harihari community.

The machine had been vital in enabling the transplants.

MacIntyre and a friend had been the first in the community to donate money for the machine, and he had made lamps to be sold in a fundraising auction.

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