We’ll never be able to repay you for Marc

FAMILIES PAY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO TEEN Two families come together to remember sons connected by one life-changing act of kindness

artificial hearts.The events also marked the launch of The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away, written by journalist Cole Moreton, which tells of how Martin and Marc’s fortunes were bound in the most extraordinary way.

Linda said: “The staff and the care they gave him there was exceptional.

“I want to help them care for others who are faced with this.”

Marc first fell ill after a holiday in Ibiza and doctors initially blamed overindulgence. But when he was admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, doctors found his heart was dangerously enlarged. His health deteriorated and he was put on the list for a transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Donor hearts are rare but Marc was offered three in three days. The last – Martin’s – was a perfect match. The family did not know the donor’s identity until a year later when Marc’s gran saw Sue on a TV programme about organ donation and instinct told her it was Marc’s donor family. A friendship grew through letters and emails over 11 years, until the families met for the first time in 2014 on a trip to Canada, organised by the Donor Family Network. But Marc’s health began to worsen in 2015 and he spent more regular periods in hospital. In September, he was admitted to Glasgow’s Golden Jubilee National Hospital for a week with heart problems and liver failure. He suffered a cardiac arrest and died.

Nurse director at the Golden Jubilee Foundation Anne Marie Cavanagh said: “The Golden Jubilee has been home to the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service since 2008, providing a high quality service for patients who have complex and critical heart conditions.

“We are very grateful to Linda’s family and friends for their generous fundraising efforts.

“Donations can have such a positive impact on the experience of patients and families who rely on the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service.” To donate to Linda’s fundraising efforts please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1337536149637299/

THANKS Our story, above, after Marc, left, with his mum received the transplant TRIBUTE Friends and family gather at Marc’s grave, where he was buried with Martin’s heart