Jane shares tragic story to help others
A former Stirling Royal Infirmary nurse has spoken of the decision she made to have her husband’s organs donated following a catastrophic brain haemorrhage.
Jane Hall is using her tragic experience to urge families to do the same if they find themselves facing a similar situation.
She will be sharing her story at a series of local events to support Organ Donation Week (September 3 - 9) and she stressed the importance of discussing the difficult topic as a family.
“I’m very proud of my late husband, George,” she said.
“I already knew his wishes before his collapse and people are alive today because he took that choice. Once you’re dead, your dead but your organs may help someone else carry on.”
It was three years ago, whilst Jane was at work, that she received a call to say her husband was unwell.
She travelled to the emergency department at Forth Valley Royal Hospital to discover he had collapsed at his workplace, the Ineos plant in Grangemouth, with a brain haemorrhage. He had also been in cardiac arrest. Colleagues at Ineos had given him CPR and kept him alive but although surgery was offered, the chance of him surviving was 10 per cent.
Jane, 57, said: “It was a terrible shock to see him like that. George had been a fit and well 56-year-old. He had phoned me at 1pm that day to see how I was doing - then at 2pm I got a call to say he’d collapsed.
“When I arrived at the hospital I saw there was no hope. Surgery would have been pointless. My son Chris and I talked things over but we already knew what to do. I reminded him of a discussion, many years before, when we’d agreed which route we’d go down. It was the easiest decision I made the whole day because of what we had agreed as a family.”
Jane subsequently found out her husband’s heart was given to a woman in Newcastle. Other organs were also sent to donors in need.
“I would advise talking about donation now so that, God forbid, if the unthinkable happens, your loved ones know what you want,” she added.
“People are around today because George took this choice. Although we still struggle with our loss, at least something positive came out of it - which is what George wanted.”
An achievement award for a third year apprentice has since been set up at Ineos to remember George, a pipeline manager, who worked at the company for 40 years.
Jane will be attending a promotional event at Falkirk Community Hospital on Tuesday, September 4, between 2-4pm, in the outpatient/eye clinic area. She will also support an organ donation event in the atrium at Forth Valley Royal Hospital from 2-4pm, on Wednesday, September 5, and will be at Stirling Community Hospital’s outpatient department on Thursday, September 6, between 2-4pm.
To find out more about the NHS Organ Donor Register visit: weneedeverybody.org.