The Best of Times – The Worst of Times.

In my last post I was able to recount a little of my holiday, which in many ways was the best time I have had in recent years.

Ten days after our return home my 9 year old grandson was involved in an accident with a bus.

With severe head injuries he was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool (England), where the fantastic staff worked for four days to stabilize him.  Sadly, his injuries proved to be too traumatic and he died in the early hours of the 10^th July.

With tremendous bravery, my daughter agreed for some of his organs to be removed for transplant and we now know that his kidneys and pancreas are providing others with the gift of life.

Without doubt, our family is currently working through the worst of times imaginable.

We have nothing but praise and gratitude for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as they worked so hard to save my grandson and we hope, in the future, to be able to help with fundraising for this amazing place.

We were also made aware of how few people are willing to agree to release their children’s organs for transplant when they are faced with similar circumstances to ours.  Every parent with a child in need of a transplant is praying for an organ to become available to save their child’s life.  In order for this to happen, other parents have to take this very hard yet brave decision when told that their beautiful and beloved child is not going to live and are asked by the hospital to consider allowing their child’s organs to be removed for transplant.

There is little to comfort our family and other’s like ours, who have had a lovely and lively child snatched away from us at such a tender age – but knowing by his death that others have gained many years of life does help a little.

It is not a subject that anyone likes to think about – or discuss – as no one expects it to happen to them, but I urge you to take the initiative and talk to all your family members, young and not so young, so that you know what their feelings are on the subject – and yes, even children as young as 9 can understand how transplanting organs can help really sick people to live.  My daughter had already had an opportunity to talk to her son and knew that he thought it was a ‘really good idea’.

It may feel a little uncomfortable but take some time to think and maybe talk to others about this.

None of us know what the future holds for us and our families – for some it is the best of times – sadly, for others it is the worst of times.