Posthumous award for Hull student after his donated organs save three lives

A UNIVERSITY of Hull student whose sudden death at the age of 19 went on to save three lives has been posthumously awarded the St John’s Cross.

- By DEBORAH HALL

Harry Purchase was in his second year of studying social work when he collapsed and later died at Castle Hill Hospital. It later transpired that a cold virus had travelled to his heart causing cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects the heart's ability to pump blood around the body, leading to a cardiac arrest and Harry suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a result.

His kidneys each went to a man and a woman in their 20s and his liver to a man in his 50s.

Now, Harry has been recognised for his “selfless contribution of adding life and giving hope to others from the gift of organ donation” An award was presented to him posthumously by the Order of St John and granted by the Duke of Gloucester, who is the Grand Prior of the Order.

Harry's mum, Felicity Kennedy, his aunt and his sister, travelled from the West Midlands to Normanby Hall, Scunthorpe, to collect the award. There they met some of the nurses who cared for Harry while he was at Castle Hill.