Monday, June 16, 2008

Oldest organ donor's grief at son's freak death

From the Telegraph in the UK:

Britain's oldest surviving female organ donor has spoken of her grief after the son whose life she saved two months ago with a kidney swap died in a freak accident.

Christine Wright, 81, sacrificed her life to save her son David, 51.

But a routine trip to the supermarket on Tuesday turned to tragedy when David tripped returning a trolley and fractured his hip.

He underwent surgery the following morning but is understood to have suffered a heart attack, caused by a blood clot, in the post operative recovery room.

Mrs Wright, of Stone, Staffs, said the accident was not connected in any way to the transplant, which took place on April 4.

She urged the public to become organ donors as her son, who was dependent on a dialysis machine, had been a "changed man" after the operation.

"It's something that any mother would do if they could. I am sure they would.

"It was heartbreaking seeing his health go down these last couple of years. I'd have done anything to help him.

"I was given all the warnings, but I was determined to try and give him his life back."

After the transplant Mr Wright, a computer expert from Meir, Staffs, had said: 'It's a completely fresh lease of life. We are no longer tied to machines.

"I love my mum - always have done and always will do. She knew the risks were there, but she's done this for me and I can't thank her enough."

Mr Wright, who lost both his legs in the mid-90s after contracting MRSA, had diabetes since the age of 12, but was keen to encourage others to undergo transplants and raised money for local hospitals.

Hospital notes between 2000 and 2004 showed failing kidneys, but it was not until 2004, when he was being treated for pneumonia, that David was told he had end user kidney failure.

Just over two years ago he was accepted on to the transplant list and it was at that point that his mother volunteered to become the donor.

David said that he had felt "marvellous" since his four-and-a-half hour operation at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth hospital.

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