A child’s death isn’t something anyone wants to think of. Organ donation is one way to have a positive impact on others and potentially help save someone else’s life.
A recent report on BBC.com tells of a 13-year old girl from England dying of a brain aneurysm shortly before her mom’s 38th birthday. Jemima Layzell collapsed one day in 2012. Four days later she died while being treated at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Her story is certainly one of sadness. Amazingly though, her body was healthy enough at the time of her death to donate a total of 8 organs to other children waiting in need, saving lives in the process.
Jemima’s pancreas, heart and small bowel were transplanted into a total of three different people. An additional two people received the benefit of her kidneys.
Related: Toddler Receives 8 Organs in Marathon Transplant Surgery
Jemima’s parents say that after her death they watched a show about children waiting for life-saving heart transplants. This was the key that convinced them that donating her organs was the right move.
“It affirmed for us that saying ‘no’ would have been denying eight other people the chance for life, especially over Jemima’s heart, which Harvey (her dad) had felt uncomfortable about donating at the time.”
Reports indicate that normally when a person’s organs are donated, it results in about two and a half transplants. In Jemima’s case, it totaled 8.
In Britain last year, 457 people died waiting for an organ transplant, 14 of whom were children. To learn more about organ transplant in the U.S click here.
Photo credits: dolgachov/Bigstock
