Mum unable to save daughter, but organ donation promise meant they both saved other people
A mum from Thurrock made a special promise to her dying daughter after she was unable to donate her kidney to save her child, because she wasn’t a match.
She promised to carry out the wishes of her late daughter, who was able to help give life to another after her death, and is sharing their story as part of Organ Donation Week (18 – 24 September).
Pat Carroll’s daughter Natalie, 38, was put on the transplant list in 2010 for a new kidney and pancreas after her own organs were damaged by complications from Type 1 diabetes. Sadly, Natalie passed away in 2014 before she was able to have her transplant operation.
Pat said: “Natalie was very clear about what she wanted. Her diabetes meant that some of her organs couldn’t be transplanted, but despite that she was able to donate her heart valves, which were used to save the life of an eight-month-old girl. It’s remarkable really and I’m so proud she got to do that.”
Pat became an organ donor herself in 2016 after she gave one of her kidneys to Joe, a young man who was also being treated at the dialysis unit at Basildon Hospital, which looked after Natalie.
She said: “When Natalie was on the waiting list, I got myself tested to see if I could donate one of my kidneys to her, but unfortunately I wasn’t a compatible match. I wasn’t able to do it for her but I wanted to do it for someone and Joe was such a courageous young man. It’s the greatest gift you can ever give someone, the gift of life.”
Although Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust don’t perform organ transplants at its hospitals, it does have a dedicated specialist nursing team from NHS Blood and Transplant Service who work alongside its intensive care and emergency department colleagues to make sure that if a patient reaches end of life, and is a possible candidate for organ donation, that they are able to donate in line with the law and their wishes.
The team, which includes four specialist nurses for organ donation is supported by a specialist requester who travels across the East of England to review prospective donors and provide support and comfort to their families.
Lucy Chaplin, a specialist nurse for organ donation based at Basildon Hospital, said:
“We support donor families through the process of organ donation. Effective communication is the key to our role, from talking to families about end-of-life decisions, to liaising with a variety of teams to ensure the donation process is carried out safely and efficiently.”
“When we are not with patients, we are working closely with our colleagues in intensive care and the emergency department about how to refer patients so that we don’t miss any opportunities for people to donate, and that donor organs have the best chance of being viable for transplant.
Even with the change in the law to opt everyone in as a donor, there are still not enough organs to meet the demand, and any missed opportunities may mean several people not getting an organ they desperately need.”
There are now more than 7,000 people in the UK currently waiting for an organ transplant.
Depending on the organ needed, many patients can find themselves waiting for several years before a viable organ becomes available. Last year, over 430 people died while waiting for a transplant.
If you’d like to register your organ donation decision it takes just two minutes to do it online - Register your decision - NHS Organ Donation or by calling 0300 123 23 23.