TO DONATION BECAME A COMFORT
transplant. A 52-year-old man was n one of mum’s lungs. Without it he uld have died. Before, he was living ne, struggling to cope at home. he second lung was given to a year-old woman, married with two wn up children. ut it was a letter dated two months later that touched me the most. Sent March 22, 2006, it said: “A few weeks ago a five-year-old boy underwent life saving surgery and was transplanted with one of Heulwen’s heart valves.
“This little boy was born with severe heart problems and prior to his operation was very unwell. We can only imagine the difference this operation will make to this boy’s life and to his family.”
I now know a little bit of my mum lives on in those six people, something that will comfort me forever.
The immediate years after her death were the most difficult of my life.
But I was carried through by the love and support of my family, especially my dad, my sisters and my friends.
As we pulled each other through there were still moments of light and laughter as we adapted to life without mum.
One Sunday, two weeks after she died, we were remembering how good mum’s gravy was with the roast while dad tried to replicate her recipe. It ended up looking like hot chocolate, which he accidentally spilt all over the kitchen. We all laughed and cried at the same time.
We remembered how mum, an animal lover like me, allowed our pet guinea pigs to run around our living room driving dad mad.
And my favourite memory of the short time I had with mum was just me and her, watching Corrie together.
We got a golden retriever called Bruce, who was extremely disobedient but brought us so much happiness, always comforting me when the grief came.
And dad became both parents to three teenage girls. To my great embarrassment, he found it amusing to ask RHIAN ON DAD BRINGING DAUGHTERS UP ALONE Beth, Rhian, Hanna and Bruce very loudly in the supermarket which tampons he should buy for us. Mum was born in Swansea and proud to be Welsh. Later she became a speech therapist in St Albans, Herts, where I grew up.
HRhian, right, sisters & mum
Dad had to become both parents to three teen girls
er real passion was art and music, something she tried to pass on to me and my sisters. We miss her every day but are comforted by her incredible legacy.
Changing the law to an opt-out system won’t make a death any less painful and, as I know, families might feel outraged when they are asked to donate in that devastating moment.
But this is why it’s so important to talk to loved ones about organ donation and, like me, join the organ donor register.