Our son George passed away aged 23 in August 2015 after collapsing at work. A crew from KSS was dispatched to give George the best possible chance of survival. George was taken to St George’s Hospital in London but sadly passed away.
In accordance with George’s wishes, his organs were used to help nine other people. We want to share his story to encourage people to support KSS and to consider organ donation.
George’s passing
The weekend before George passed away, he’d been complaining of headaches. We’d booked an eye test because he was doing a lot of work on the computer so we thought he should get his eyes checked.
Next morning, 18 August 2015, George said the headache was still there, but he was going to work because he had a meeting. After the meeting he popped into a local café to get his lunch, just like he always did.
He got back to the office and disappeared. One of his colleagues went to look for him and found him collapsed and unresponsive in the toilets.
They rang 999 and a paramedic arrived. He realised how serious it was and called for the air ambulance. The crew from KSS arrived by helicopter and treated him so that he could be safely transferred to St George’s Hospital in London.
We were in a room in the hospital when a doctor came in and told us George had suffered an aneurysm, that it had burst, and they didn’t think he was going to survive. There was nothing that could have been done. Even if it had happened in the hospital they couldn’t have saved him. They were very kind – George was in a room on his own and had a lovely nurse looking after him.
KSS Paramedic David Wright was part of the team dispatched to care for George.
David recalled: “A Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) from SECAmb was already looking after George when we arrived. George needed advanced clinical interventions that are only available from KSS to stabilise him for his transfer to St George’s Hospital.
Organ Donation
When George was 11, we were watching a TV programme which mentioned organ donation. Afterwards George said that if something happened to him, he wanted to donate his organs. He filled in a cared, and that’s the card they found on him at the hospital.
We were asked if we still wanted to donate his organs. He was a very caring and loving young man, so we feel very lucky to have been able to make his wishes come true.
It was because of KSS, and the care they provided for George in taking him to hospital, that we were able to say yes. That’s why we want to do anything we can to help the charity, because being able to donate his organs helped us massively.
A couple of years later we met the man who received George’s heart and lungs, along with his wife and their two children. They wanted to express their thanks for still having a dad, who had been hours away from death when he received George’s heart and lungs. Suddenly he’d been given this extra time. He’d had heart issues for many years and was about 24 hours away from dying.
It was lovely to meet him and to see that they could still be a family together because of George.
Nine lives changed
George donating his organs helped about nine people. Because he had been a healthy young person, they were able to take his corneas, kidneys, skin grafts, muscles, everything. We received a letter telling us about the people he had been able to help. It’s helped us massively knowing that George was able to benefit so many people, even after he died. Organ donation makes such a difference to the recipient’s lives, but it’s made a difference to us too. It means George’s life wasn’t wasted. He’s helped an awful lot of people, and probably still does. For us, it means he’s still around.
Fundraising for KSS
Every time the air ambulance goes over our house we think of the fundraising that has been done in George’s memory and think “George has helped pay for that”.
What KSS does is just fantastic. It’s such a professional organisation and really cutting edge when it comes to the care it provides. You know any money you raise is going to be spent well and have such a positive impact.
The air ambulance is something that any of us could need at any time. That’s a great reason to be involved in raising money for it.
David Wright concluded: “We’re incredibly grateful to Claire, Mark and everyone who has supported KSS in George’s memory over the years. Meeting families like George’s reminds us why we do what we do. While the circumstances were tragic, George’s decision to become an organ donor has left an extraordinary legacy, helping so many people and their loved ones. It’s a powerful reminder that one person’s kindness can continue to make a difference long after they’re gone.”
