Organ donors remembered with special artwork

Organ donors at Tameside Hospital will now have a permanent place of remembrance thanks to the unveiling of a new artwork.

The apple blossom tree wall art adorns the entrance corridor in the Trust’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and will display the names of those who have given the gift of life to others.

The art is a dedicated space for families and staff to remember and celebrate the generosity of those who are no longer with us.

Families of the first two patients to be remembered, Danielle Haggerty and Luke Thompson, joined staff for a special ceremony during Organ Donation Week earlier in September.

Danielle tragically lost her life aged 33 after spending three days on life support machines at Tameside Hospital’s ICU.

But by opting to donate her organs, she has been able to help three other people who desperately needed it.

Danielle’s family, including father Geoff, and brother Jonathan (both pictured below), attended the opening and paid tribute to her, saying she would be ‘over the moon’ to know she has helped others.

“Danielle was a good girl, a really happy person. She had a great personality,” said Geoff.

“It means a lot because the thing she would have wanted to do would be to help somebody else. Knowing that she has been able to give life to three other people means a lot.

“The artwork is fantastic, they have done a really good job. She would be incredibly proud, over the moon. We’ll be coming in to see it.

“The Hospital have been fantastic. When we came in, we were here for three days and they couldn’t do enough for us. That made the unbearable, bearable, because it was a very hard time.”

Martyn Taylor, Chair of the Organ Donation Committee at Tameside and Glossop NHS ICFT, said: “We are incredibly proud to have a permanent memorial in celebration of those who have selflessly donated organs to help other people.

“We urgently need people in Tameside and Glossop to be talking about organ donation. If you wish to donate your organs when you pass away, have those conversations with your family now, make them aware of your intentions and register on the Organ Donation Register.”

Find out more about organ donation via the NHS Organ Donation website.