Source: Belfast Telegram
Through his death Mark Elliott has given the gift of life to five strangers.
The Belfast youth had signed up to the Organ Donor Register and hours after he was declared dead five of his organs had been used in vital transplant operations.
One of Mark’s kidneys was sent to Birmingham where it was used to save the life of a baby.
His parents, Mark snr and Joanne, said the fact that their son had helped others to live was helping them cope with their loss.
“It’s our hope that we will someday get a letter from the families to tell us how joyful it was to |hear that news,” said Mark snr. “That something good came out of our loss.”
The 19-year-old’s organ donation has already had a positive impact on family and friends.
Joanne said: “So many people have said to us that they are |becoming organ donors, or giving blood or signing up to the |bone-marrow register.”
The grieving mother also said the hundreds of cards, letters, phonecalls and visitors they have received have made them “get to know our son all over again”.
“The more people that come to us, the more people that tell us |stories, I’m bursting with pride,” said Joanne.
The Elliott home in Earl Haig Park in Belfast is filled with sympathy cards. Internet tribute sites have been set up for Mark and the family have received hundreds of emails and letters about their son.
“We feel like for 19 years of age this wee lad has touched so many people, has given up so much, and even now he’s gone is still touching so many,” said Joanne.
Symptoms
Mark was struck down by a meningitis-like virus that produces symptoms similar to flu. The virus gave him a condition known as encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. Symptoms can include fever, headache and altered mental status. The most common symptoms of meningitis are headache and neck stiffness, confusion and vomiting. For more information on meningitis and its symptoms visit www.meningitis-trust.org or contact the 24-hour helpline 0800 028 18 28.
Sign up to save a life
The Belfast Telegraph is calling on its readers to sign up and save lives — with only 26% of the population on the Organ Donor Register, the province is lagging behind many other regions in the UK when it comes to committing to giving one of the greatest gifts possible. To join the NHS Organ Donor Register and help save lives in Northern Ireland, text SAVE to 84118, telephone 0300 123 2323, or log onto www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Through his death Mark Elliott has given the gift of life to five strangers.
The Belfast youth had signed up to the Organ Donor Register and hours after he was declared dead five of his organs had been used in vital transplant operations.
One of Mark’s kidneys was sent to Birmingham where it was used to save the life of a baby.
His parents, Mark snr and Joanne, said the fact that their son had helped others to live was helping them cope with their loss.
“It’s our hope that we will someday get a letter from the families to tell us how joyful it was to |hear that news,” said Mark snr. “That something good came out of our loss.”
The 19-year-old’s organ donation has already had a positive impact on family and friends.
Joanne said: “So many people have said to us that they are |becoming organ donors, or giving blood or signing up to the |bone-marrow register.”
The grieving mother also said the hundreds of cards, letters, phonecalls and visitors they have received have made them “get to know our son all over again”.
“The more people that come to us, the more people that tell us |stories, I’m bursting with pride,” said Joanne.
The Elliott home in Earl Haig Park in Belfast is filled with sympathy cards. Internet tribute sites have been set up for Mark and the family have received hundreds of emails and letters about their son.
“We feel like for 19 years of age this wee lad has touched so many people, has given up so much, and even now he’s gone is still touching so many,” said Joanne.
Symptoms
Mark was struck down by a meningitis-like virus that produces symptoms similar to flu. The virus gave him a condition known as encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. Symptoms can include fever, headache and altered mental status. The most common symptoms of meningitis are headache and neck stiffness, confusion and vomiting. For more information on meningitis and its symptoms visit www.meningitis-trust.org or contact the 24-hour helpline 0800 028 18 28.
Sign up to save a life
The Belfast Telegraph is calling on its readers to sign up and save lives — with only 26% of the population on the Organ Donor Register, the province is lagging behind many other regions in the UK when it comes to committing to giving one of the greatest gifts possible. To join the NHS Organ Donor Register and help save lives in Northern Ireland, text SAVE to 84118, telephone 0300 123 2323, or log onto www.organdonation.nhs.uk
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