A woman whose daughter died hours after giving birth has revealed a letter from an organ recipient gave her an “incredible lift” as she rebuilds her life.
Rosie Kremer, 24, died of an undiagnosed brain tumour six hours after her baby was born by emergency caesarean section.
Her devastated family including mum Lesley, 57, sisters Ruth, 30, and Joanne, 28, took the agonising decision to allow Rosie’s organs to be donated and eight people’s lives were saved as a result.
Lesley, a teacher from Penrith, Cumbria, is now trying to rebuild her life while raising grandson Bobby and taking legal action against the hospital which treated her daughter.
But she has received a “massive boost” in the form of a letter which dropped on to her doormat from a woman who received Rosie’s kidney.
The three-page letter describes how the married mum-of-two’s health had been deteriorating for 15 years before Rosie saved her life.
It was quickly followed by messages of gratitude from her daughter and husband. Lesley said: “I absolutely bawled my eyes out when I got them, all of the family did. It made it seem real and it was lovely.
“For somebody to say ‘I’m alive because I have been given your daughter’s kidney’, was just amazing.
“It is a massive comfort to know she has had her life back and I’m so glad. She seems like such a nice person.”
Lesley agreed for Rosie’s heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, stomach and bowel to be donated following her death on May 29, 2012, as a tribute to her late husband, Peter, who died of cancer 11 years ago.
He had always wanted to be a donor but was unsuitable due to his illness.
In September, she accepted the Order of St John Award on behalf of Rosie which recognised her gift and she believes it is only Bobby and the organ donation which has kept her grief from becoming too much.
She said: “It is a positive at a time when we need as many positives as we can get.
“It is difficult to believe I am not going to see her again. The whole process with organ donation was massively comforting.
“She died, but at the same time something amazing was happening. It got us through those days, otherwise I don’t know how we would have coped.”
In Scotland and England, people must choose to join the Organ Donor Register but in Wales a new law which comes into force in 2015 will mean people will have to opt out.
And Lesley has joined the calls for it to be introduced in England.
She added: “I want to get people to think about joining the Organ Donor Register and it is an important time to show how worthwhile it is.”
In the letter from the woman who received Rosie’s kidney she writes poignantly about the moment a match was found.
She says: “I was so frightened but it’s a strange feeling knowing that some kind-hearted person had made the choice to help a stranger and I was that scared but so, so grateful.
“What a testament to this wonderful woman to want to help others this way. Since the transplant, my life has changed so much and my outlook on life is more positive.
“I have far more energy, chores are manageable and I’m awake for long enough to find out what’s happening in my children’s lives.
“I remind myself every day how lucky I am and try not to allow myself to get low or angry about the unimportant things.”
The mum signs off by vowing to take the very best care of Rosie’s gift.
She says: “I now have a life back that I had forgotten I had. The illness kind of creeps up over the years and you forget what you were able to do.
“I’m doing my very best to look after my wonderful, unique gift your loved one has shared with me and I intend to continue to do so.
“Again, thank you so much and I thank your special lady, who is in my thoughts every day.”
How you can help
More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need an organ transplant.
Of these, 1,000 each year that’s three a day will die because there are not enough organs available.
But you could make a difference by signing up to the Organ Donor Register.
To add your name and donate your organs after death visit organdonation.nhs.uk
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe