Thanks to brave Max is still alive
Praise for tragic donor Keira
THE family of a little girl who died in a car crash has been praised by a coroner after saving the life of Mirror boy Max Johnson – and inspiring our organ donor campaign.
An inquest heard yesterday how Keira Ball, nine, died after a head-on collision while out with her mum Loanna, 34, and brother Bradley, seven. All three were
Max with Keira’s dad Joe and mum Loanna taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but Keira died two days later.
Her brave dad Joe, 35, then took the decision to donate her organs, which saved four other lives, including 10-yearold Max, who received her heart.
Exeter and Greater Devon coroner Philip Spinney praised her legacy at the inquest into her death.
He said: “I’d just like to say it must have been a very difficult decision at the
time to agree consent of her organs being donated – and what you did was a very important thing.”
The inquest heard Keira, of Barnstaple, Devon, was with her mum and Bradley when disaster struck in July, 2017. Her mum’s car drifted across the road and smashed head-on into a 4x4.
Keira suffered head and neck wounds, and was given CPR at the scene by a doctor after she had a heart attack. She Little Keira Ball died in a car accident aged just nine Our February front page celebrates introduction of Max’s Law
died later in hospital. There were no prosecutions over the accident.
The family praised the huge response to the donor opt-out scheme inspired by Keira and said she had saved four lives from “something so awful”.
Everyone in England will be presumed to be an organ donor from 2019 thanks to our crusade – and it will be called Max’s Law in honour of Max Johnson.