Donor heart saved me.. please change law to help others
Brave Connor backs our campaign
A FRIEND of Max Johnson who got a heart transplant eight weeks ago is backing our Change the Law for Life campaign – and praying that his pal gets the same gift of a “second chance at life”.
Connor Laws, 14, was so weak as he waited for his donor organ that he was unable to walk from his hospital bed to the toilet in the ward.
He became friends with nine-yearold Max as he suffered from the same condition, an enlarged heart, and also relied on a LVAD (left ventricular assisted device) to keep him alive.
Max has been waiting six months for a donor organ and we highlighted his plight last week.
Connor was so ill when he went into the Freeman Hospital specialist transplant centre in Newcastle he had an LVAD fitted. Eight days later, a heart became available.
In all, he waited just 27 days for a donor – and was aided by the fact he is very big for his age at 6ft, meaning he could have an adult’s organ.
Yesterday, as our petition to change organ donation law was backed by almost 6,000 people in two days, Connor said: “I am so much better now, I feel like my old self.
LIFE-CHANGING
“I am back to normal and it is an amazing feeling. Before the transplant, I could not walk up stairs without getting out of breath.
“It got to the stage where I could not get from my bed to the toilet on the ward. It is a great thing for people to become organ donors. It really does save lives. It has saved mine. It has given me a second chance at life.”
Theresa May has given Max, of Winsford, Cheshire, hope as she considers updating the law.
Our campaign, started two years ago, urges a system where people are classed as having agreed to donate their organs after death unless they opt out. Wales brought such a system in 18 months ago and Scotland is set to follow suit.
The Prime Minister has said she is now considering it in England.
Her deputy spokeswoman said: “We are keeping a close eye on how the changes in Wales and Scotland are affecting donation rates in considering whether we would change our policy.”
Gary Lineker and Robbie Savage are among the stars supporting us, along with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom said altering the law “would be life-changing for many people”.
Connor was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy five days after he was admitted. Doctors initially thought he had asthma and chest infections.
The super-fit rugby league player was given antibiotics and complained of stomach pains, which was organ failure caused by his heart condition.
He was admitted to Leeds General Infirmary on April 11 then flown to the Freeman on April 21. He got his new heart on May 9 and will be eight weeks post-transplant tomorrow. Dad Jevan and mum Kelly, 40, met Max’s parents Emma and Paul as they considered Connor having an LVAD.
Jevan, 37, a clinical support specialist, recalled watching Max “bouncing with energy” and decided Connor should use one.
He said: “We are 100% behind the Mirror campaign. So many people say to us, ‘I never considered donation until I knew somebody who needed one’. So many are willing to donate but never get round to signing up.”
Connor’s story comes after more than 5,600 people signed up to our campaign in two days.
Jevan, of Castleford, West Yorks, added: “We want to raise awareness of cardiomyopathy in children and let people know how vital it is to donate organs.”
Connor, who lives in Leeds with his mum, also has brother Samuel, eight. His parents separated and he has a stepsister Elsie, four, by his dad’s fiancee Vicky, 35.
Emma said she is “humbled” by the support after we told Max’s story.
She added: “The reaction to Max’s story has been amazing. It is lovely to see Connor and his family backing the campaign and championing Max and all those waiting. I remember when I met Connor, he looked so pale and tired.
“I bumped into him after his transplant, he had rosy cheeks. It was very inspiring but I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness for Max that he was still waiting.”
Connor is praying his poorly pal finds a donor and said: “I really, really hope he gets his second chance too.”
A total of 6,335 Brits remain on the waiting list for organs – including 182 children. At present, anyone who wants to donate their organs after death has to opt in to the system through the donor card scheme.
The soft opt-out system introduced in Wales in 2015 allows parts of an adult’s body to be used in transplants in the absence of express permission, provided it has the family’s support.
It does save lives. It has saved mine. It has given me a second chance CONNOR LAWS, 14 ON ORGAN DONATION
SCHOOLBOY Connor Laws gives hope to everybody waiting for a transplant or willing to be a donor.
A transplant saved his life. He is walking and talking evidence of why we need you to win our vital Change the Law for Life campaign.