Gemma Ashdown lost her husband to a brain bleed, she decided to donate his organs and just weeks later, received a letter detailing how he saved lives.
Kent, United Kingdom – We all fear losing our loved ones but for Gemma Ashdown, that fear came true six-weeks-ago, when her husband passed away. Jono, as she called him, was just 27-years-old and a healthy, active man.
The couple had just welcomed their third child to the family and had a future filled with dreams. Never did Gemma think that Jonathan would pass away so young.
It all happened when he started experiencing extreme pain in his head. They assumed it was a bad headache, but within a few weeks, Jonathan had passed away. Jonathan suffered an arteriovenous brain malformation (AVM) which is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain that burst, causing a fatal bleed.
Stunned and devastated, Gemma decided to donate his organs. She then went home to mourn the unimaginable loss she just faced. The NHS worked to match Jonathan’s organs to people in need.
A few weeks later, Gemma received a letter detailing how her husband’s organs saved lives. She shared the letter on social media, and it went viral.
The letter said that Jonathan’s organs saved five people and he will continue to save lives with his skin, meniscus, tendons and femoral arteries which have been frozen and kept for future use. These are the people he saved:
- A gentleman in his early forties received one of Jonathan’s kidneys and his pancreas after being on the waiting list for over three years.
- A gentleman in his late fifties received a kidney after being on the transplant waiting list for ten years.
- A young boy received half of Jonathan’s liver.
- A gentleman in his mid-sixties received the other half of Jonathan’s liver.
- A gentleman in his early sixties received the precious and rare gift of a heart transplant.
People have praised Gemma for her choice to donate her husband’s organs and save lives. Gemma hopes to one day meet the man who received Jonathan’s heart and that her children will be able to hear it beating.
You can read the letter below.
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