Mum proud as son’s organs save five lives
STUDENT SHANE DIED AFTER SUFFERING BLEED ON BRAIN
THE mum of a Staffordshire University student who died earlier this year has spoken of her pride at his donated organs saving five lives.
Art student Shane Dineen, 20, suffered a fatal bleed on the brain, leaving mum Vicky Scott devastated.
But the fact his organs were donated to the NHS means his heart, lungs, liver and kidneys have now gone to give critically ill patients is a comfort to her.
One was a teenage girl in desperate need of a liver transplant and another had been on the waiting list for eight years.
Vicky, 48, said: “Shane was a really lovable, chatty, pleasant, hardworking boy. He had just done his first term at university where he was studying fine art and he was thoroughly enjoying it. He had lots of friends and as far as we knew he was fit and healthy.
“On Christmas Eve, 2020, he started with a really bad headache. He was lying in bed, gripping his head and vomiting, so we phoned 999. He couldn’t even stand. He was assessed by paramedics and spent three days in bed.
“After this he recovered and seemed to be absolutely fine, until about two weeks later. One day I had finished work early, so Shane and I went food shopping. I remember he bought some presents for one of his best friends while we were there. Then we went home and he started with a headache again, so he took some paracetamol, but within 45 minutes he was vomiting. He went to bed and I kept going in and out to check on him.
“At one point he seemed to have fallen asleep, which I was glad about because I thought it’d make him feel better. I went into my bedroom and then heard a massive bang, so I rushed back in to him. He had fallen out of bed and was having a fit on the floor. I put my hand under his head to protect it and we called an ambulance.
“He was taken to (Royal Stoke) hospital and straight to X-ray, where they found he’d suffered a bleed on the brain. They tried to drain it, but it just kept filling up and there was nothing they could do.
“Due to the nature of Shane’s death, I was approached about organ donation. It wasn’t something we had discussed with Shane; with someone so young you don’t really talk about these things. So I had to decide what to do.
“One of our friends had lost their baby due to a failed liver transplant and I knew that Shane was someone who always wanted to help, so I decided to go ahead with it. The decision was actually pretty easy.
“Nothing was ever too much trouble for Shane and he’d always go out of his way for people. This is the last thing he could do to help and I believe it’s what he would have wanted.”
NHS Blood and Transplant has written to Shane’s family about the people whose lives have been changed thanks to the incredible gifts they received. Vicky, from Bentilee, said: “It must be such a relief to all these people and their families. Now they can live a better life. We’re all grieving and trying to come to terms with what’s happened, but I’m just so pleased that we were able to do this.
“At least something good has come out of something truly awful. Shane has given these people the best gift they could possibly receive. He will be missed by lots of people.”
The Royal Stoke, where Shane died, has thanked his family for the organ donations. Nurse Kirsty Lazenby said: “This kind of situation is very delicate and calls for an enormous amount of tact at the best of times, but during a pandemic everything is even more complicated and Covid restrictions made it hard for us to have conversations with the family due to the limitations on visitors.
“Despite the adversities we faced, staff in A&E right through to theatres managed to facilitate the donation and Shane has gone on to save the lives of five people, making an immeasurable difference to their lives.”
Nothing was ever too much trouble for Shane and he’d always go out of his way for people.
Shane Dineen’s mum Vicky