Video stars.. Max and family who saved him
Strong bonds forged after heart operation
MAX Johnson is starring in a new video to promote Organ Donation Week today – with the family who saved his life.
The poster boy for our Change the Law for Life campaign was filmed as he met the family of Keira Ball.
The nine-year-old’s organs saved the lives of four people, including Max, 10, who received her heart.
He was filmed speaking at a fundraiser for the Inspired by Keira charity. He told crowds at the North Devon Show, held near her home, that her sacrifice will never be forgotten. Max met her dad Joe and mum Loanna – who was seriously injured in the car accident that claimed her daughter’s life on July 30 last year. Max said they are his “second family”.
He said: “This is Loanna and this is Joe. They made a decision which saved four lives. Without them, I would not be alive.”
Loanna, 34, of Barnstaple, Devon, said: “To see and hear her heart beating on in Max is such a comfort.
“He is just adorable. I love him. He brings such joy now to our family.
“And we see a lot of Keira in Max.” Max said: “A nine-year-old girl, the beautiful Keira, died in a car crash a
He is just adorable. We see a lot of Keira in Max
LOANNA BALL MOTHER OF ORGAN DONOR KEIRA
year ago and there will always be a dark cloud above us, from that dreadful moment.
“I will make the most of my life – going for adventures and enjoying every minute.” Keira’s kidneys were given to two adults, her pancreas and liver went to another boy.
Max’s parents Emma, 48, and Paul, 45, of Winsford, Cheshire, are backing the NHS Blood and Transplant campaign to flag up the desperate need for donors.
Around 3,000 lifesaving transplants were missed last year because families said no to donating a relative’s organs. The message is ‘Words Save Lives’. Councils, businesses and hospitals are lighting their buildings pink, the colour of the donor card, to get people talking about their wishes for their organs. The Mirror head office in Canary Wharf, London will have a pink band on its roof illuminated this week. Surveys find 80 per cent of the UK population support organ donation but only 33 per cent tell loved ones and relatives often refuse consent. The Government has promised to pass Max’s Law, where all citizens are potential donors unless they specifically opt out, by 2020.