The gift of LIFE

As we mark Organ Donation Week, two women share the impact that it had on them and their loved ones

- KATE CHAPMAN

'Dad was my hero, in life and in death'

Katie Ford, 33, is a veterinary surgeon and coach, and lives in Manchester with her boyfriend, Simon, 38. Her dad, Jay, 58, donated his kidneys after passing away in November 2021.

My dad, Jay, was a builder and a proud He was Yorkshireman. He was so encouraging of anything I did and was my biggest supporter, and the most kind and caring man.

Dad had low-grade chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but he was under the care of a doctor and it never stopped him working.

I was at a two-day conference in London when my mum, Helen, called. She usually phoned me about their dogs, but this time, her words threw me. 'It's your dad. He's really struggling with his breathing and he's gone to A&E. But Mum didn't seem too worried or want me to come home. I thought they would give him a couple of injections and he'd be on the phone to me himself in the morning.

Overnight, he was put on a ventilator. It all happened so suddenly he'd only been at work a couple of days before.

We were able to visit him in the hospital, which I am incredibly grateful for. The doctors tried to stop his ventilator, but he couldn't breathe on his own and we were given the prognosis he was unlikely to recover.

When they tried to stop the ventilator again, it didn't go as planned and we had to have a conversation about switching it off, which is when we were asked about organ donation.

With another family member trying to get on the recipient list, Dad was a real advocate for the process, so when the question of whether he'd want to be a donor came up, we knew the answer immediately.