Bereaved mum Lucy Spaull issues appeal in National Transplant Week
Christine Fleming | Richmond-Twickenham Times, UK
A mum whose nine-year-old son lost his battle with kidney failure has joined a national appeal for organ donors.
Lucy Spaull, 31, of Crane Avenue, Isleworth, is highlighting this week’s National Transplant Week after the death of her son Oliver last year.
Miss Spaull said: “Oliver [my son] was waiting for a transplant and it never came.
“He was waiting for two years and it was very tough - you don’t expect to wait for that long.
“We always expected to be able to give our child what he needed and always thought we could donate but it turned out none of us were the right blood group and so we couldn’t.”
Oliver, a student at Worple School, Hounslow, had suffered medical problems since birth and was on a donor list for a new kidney for more than two years before he died.
Mum Lucy is currently helping to promote awareness of organ donation and the difference it can make to people’s lives. National charity Live Life Then Give Life work is urging people to pledge to spend two minutes this week pledging to save lives by joining the organ donor register.
Miss Spaull said: “Oliver was nine when he died. He was born with chronic renal failure and had one kidney.
“I continue to fight for organ donation so that other families don’t have to go through the grief we are going through.
“Ollie was an inspiration and the only thing he ever wanted was a new kidney and the chance to have a life.”
She added: “[We would urge people] to find the register really so people don’t have to suffer the grief we’ve been through - it only takes a minute.
“Ollie was only nine and shouldn’t have died.”
Emily Thackray, chairwoman of transplant charity live life then give life, said she hoped people would be moved by Oliver’s story.
She said: “Three people like Oliver die waiting for a transplant every single day. It’s something a lot of us don’t really think about, even though any one of us could need a transplant at some point.
“I hope people that have been moved by Oliver’s story take action and sign up today.”
For more information go to uktransplant.org.uk or lltgl.org.uk.
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