Thanet woman 'proud' of Aunty after saving four lives through organ donation

A Kent woman has told us that she is 'proud' knowing her aunty has saved four lives since donating her organs.

Sam Woods, who is from Birchington, was 53 when she died in September last year after a choking accident.

Her sister, Julie, recalled the day Sam died, she said: "We had been out for lunch, and everything was fine. We were laughing, joking, as you do. Sam was living with my mum at the time. They went home, and Sam choked on a marshmallow in the kitchen."

Sam’s family congregated at her bedside at the Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, where they were sadly told that her brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long.

Julie said: ‘It was such a huge shock to us all. There were about 18 of us all sat around Sam’s bedside, just trying to make sense of the fact that she wouldn’t make it.’

Sam had down syndrome and her family now want to share her story, highlighting that people can donate organs if they have down syndrome or other disabilities.

Emma, her niece said: "We looked at each other and said well she is down syndrome and the doctors told us that doesn't affect her ability to save other people.

"Her kidneys are the same, her heart is the same, her lung is the same, her liver, it's all the same as everybody else's."

Sam was able to donate her kidneys to two men in their 60s, her liver to a lady in her 30s, and her lungs to another woman.

Sam’s heart tissue has also been stored for future donation.

"It hasn't happened for no reason, it happened for a purposes, we haven't regretted it for one second. It's helped us in our grieving process knowing that Sam has helped other people, giving them not just life but a quality of life.

"Sam was incredibly loving and caring, cheeky and very sarcastic. She had a wicked sense of humour, she was the glue in our family, she held us all together."

In recognition of her donation, Sam was posthumously handed the Order of St John Award for Organ Donation.

Julie went on: ‘Organ donation gave us some comfort; it was just knowing there were people out there whose lives have been improved because of Sam.’

Julie said: ‘I would urge anyone who finds themselves in the difficult position we did to think about what organ donation can do. In your darkest times, it can be hard to think about it, but you’re giving a future to someone else.’