NHS

Blood and Transplant

17th March 2021

Dear Liana and family

As promised, this letter contains information about those who have benefited following Matt's donation.

Organ donation saves and transforms the lives of those lucky enough to receive a transplant. I am pleased to tell you that at the time of writing this letter three people have received an organ transplant as a result of this donation.

The first was a gentleman in his late forties, who received a kidney transplant after being on the waiting list for a little over a year and the second was a lady in her early thirties, who received a kidney after being on the transplant waiting list for four years. As you may be aware, kidney disease is a very debilitating condition and requires sufferers to have a special diet and for some dialysis in hospital, sometimes up to four times a week. As Matt was able to donate both his kidneys, two people have been given the chance of a life free from the dialysis they were dependent on.

Following Matt's generous donation, a young girl has received a life-saving liver transplant. Prior to receiving this she would have been incredibly unwell and thanks to Matt, she and her family are looking forward to a healthier and brighter future.

Unfortunately, there are times when an organ is unable to be transplanted and although you kindly agreed to donate Matt's heart, sadly on this occasion transplantation was not possible. The decision not to go ahead with the transplant is never an easy one but after further testing, the surgeons at the transplant centre felt that the heart would not function well in a recipient and it was respectfully disposed of. The offer of the gift of organ donation is as much appreciated as the gift itself.

You and your family also kindly agreed to tissue donation which meant that Matt was able to donate his eye tissue. Unlike organs, tissues are stored for a period of time before being matched and allocated to suitable recipients. As a result of this, we are unable to provide you with any further information about those that will benefit from Matt's gift at this point in time. However, further information may be available in the future.

I hope that this information brings you some comfort and that you feel proud of the difference Matt has made to others through the gift of organ donation.

Yours sincerely

Jo Pilsbury

Donor Family Care Service

NHS Blood and Transplant is a Special Health Authority within the National Health Service.