Incredible mum makes heartbreaking decision to donate newborn baby’s organs to save another baby’s life
Zachary's heart valves saved another baby's life
A new mum made the heart wrenching decision to allow her newborn baby’s organs to be donated, after he died in her arms soon after birth. Jade Awdry made the decision after Zachary survived for just 23 minutes.
Baby Zachary died from a fractured skull, which he endured while being delivered by emergency caesarean.
Ultrasound scans showed that Zachary was pointing shoulder-first in his mother’s womb when Jade’s contractions began. Doctors decided to carry out an emergency caesarean due to his unusual positioning.
It was during this c-section that Zachary’s brain swelled and fractured his skull, an inquest heard.
“Jade was holding Zachary for about one or two minutes when she asked a midwife if she could do anything to help others,” remembers Zachary’s father Keith Mitchell.
“Two weeks ago we received a letter from the Organ Transplant Team telling us that one of Zachary’s heart valves has been used on a child with a genetic heart condition."
It was Keith who had to break the tragic news of Zachary’s passing to Jade, 33.
“To tell Jade after the delivery, when she had been waiting for her baby to be wrapped up and brought to her was traumatic,” says Keith, 38.
“We’re still deeply sad with grief. We lost our first child. He was growing for nine months and we only got to know him for such a short time.
“But this saved a child’s life, which was the best thing that could have happened in our situation.”
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