‘To hug Mark and feel his heart beat was so special ...we did the right thing’
waiting list after suffering kidney failure. He said: “Waiting for that all-important call saying a compatible pancreas and kidney had been found was horrific, knowing I would die without them – and mine and Caroline’s dreams of having family would be gone.”
Then, in the summer of 2009, Mark got the call that changed his life.
Caroline, a biomedical scientist, drove him from their home in Harrogate, North Yorks, to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he had the eight-hour transplants. Two weeks later he was home. And he admitted: “I was filled with a massive sense of joy and gratitude, but also of guilt, that someone else had to die for me to live.”
It was months later that Ca r o l i n e conceived – and Emily was born in September 2010. In 2015 the couple adopted baby daughter Ellie. Mark used to be a corporate manager with RBS but is now a motivational speaker, giving talks to charities and local interest groups. And Adam remains a constant inspiration.
He added: “Not only have the new organs given to me by the Rogers family given me a new lease of life, they have defined and shaped who I am, what I do.
“I’ve got countless more projects and challenges ahead of me and with Dave and Pat alongside me, I know there’s nothing we can’t achieve.”
■Find out more about Every
Action Has Consequences at eahconsequences.com/actions /organ-donation
■Mark is fundraising for Kidney Care UK. See kidneycareuk.org