A four-year-old boy is looking forward to his first ‘real Christmas’ at home after a heart transplant.
Freddie, from Preston, spent last Christmas in intensive care recovering from his transplant, and had also spent previous holidays in hospital.
“It will be nice to share our day without the need for observations, beeping machines, hospital meals and being far away from family,” says his mother, Harriet.
“There are simply not enough words to describe our donor. What an amazing and courageous family.”
The 32-year-old said: “Freddie’s life was saved because of their decision and we hope they can find some comfort.
“In our opinion, being an organ donor is the best thing you can be.”
She said waiting for that phone call “was the worst time of our lives” and that the family was aware that Freddie “might not make it while he waited”.
“Although it is a phone call that you desperately wait for, it brings an incredible amount of emotion because you know what it means for another family,” she added.
Freddie was in the hospital for about a year before his transplant last fall.
His mother said he had “become a completely different person” since the operation.
“Although he has retained his cheeky personality and positive outlook on life, he has grown and gained weight for the first time,” she said.
“We can’t really keep up with him anymore and spend our days chasing him.”
Harriet said it was a special moment when she could “cuddle him without being tied to wires or machines.”
“He has been able to go to school and absolutely loves it,” she added.
Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplantation, said: ‘Losing a child is tragic and such a difficult time. That is why we ask parents to think about what they can do now regarding organ donation. .
“Families tell us that it can be comforting to know that their child has helped other people and that another family is not also dealing with the loss of a child.”