The photo to the left shows Matt Ferguson preparing to leave on a visit to Kenya and Uganda where he and a group of friends took part in a 6 week project to help school children build classroom furniture. This was part of the World Challenge project in 2006.

Matt had formerly gone to Myton school in Warwick and was working as an apprentice landscape gardener.

He was also a leading fire fighter with Warwickshire Young fire fighters and a keen cricketer.

In April 2008 Matthew was critically injured in a car accident which led to the confirmaton of brain stem death a few days later in hospital. Matt was on the Organ Donor Register. Matt's parents, Gill and Andrew, recall the events leading up to donation:

"...that time was a rollercoaster of emotions fortunately we knew Matt's wishes would have been to bring hope and new life to somebody else. The subject of donation had been talked about at home previously. ...for us it remains essential that the question of donation is asked by the medical staff.

The nurses in critical care played a vital role in ensuring that the donation issue was raised and dealt with in a time and manner that ultimately provides, as we will state later, benefits that are immeasurable in making some sense of the situation you are in. Following the decision the Donor Transplant Co-ordinator then became involved and guided us through the process.

The support we had at this stage was amazing given the circumstances and at no point did we feel threatened or rushed into doing something we didn't want to, bearing in mind the criticality of the timescales involved.

From our point of view the process was clear, simple and very well delivered. Once the wheels were in motion we were offered the opportunity to be with Matt during the tests to establish death, which was of great comfort to Gill."

Matthew's heart went to a 26-year-old woman, his liver was split between a woman of 20 and a girl of 6, one of his kidneys was given to a 73-year-old man, while his other kidney and pancreas went to a woman of 50. Matthew also donated skin and bone for future research. Gill and Andrew say that Matthew's gifts of life to others have brought them enormous comfort. Three of the recipients have written to thank the family. "One of the recipients, a 20-year-old lady who had part of Matt's liver says that she thinks of us every day and the wonderful gift we have given her. Her life has completely changed," said Gill. "She had been ill for a few years but is now able to live a normal life"

The photo to the right shows Matt and his two brothers and a friend's daughter at Christmas 2006. The family reiterate the reasons why they actively support donation: "Donation has been the only positive out of this tragedy. It has left us and his two younger brothers with a feeling that his life did not end there and then and his spirit lives on and, believe us, you need all the positives you can find from a situation such as this.

Matthew has helped so many people directly through specific organs but potentially many more through the continuing research and development. The decision we made to receive updates from the co-ordinator was a very good one as we have learnt firsthand the direct impact Matt's actions have had in dramatically improving the life of others.

We have learnt, the very hard way, how precious life is and how the gift of life to somebody is so important, however tragic the circumstances there can still be some positives for us and others."

A final thought, one of the recipients wrote, "I was facing a life of uncertainty and suffering, now I have opportunity to live a normal life, thank you and thank you especially to Matthew." Another recipient got in touch with the Fergusons - her name is Vikki Medlicot.

Vikki Medlicott - Liver recipient

Not many recipients of solid organs get to meet their donor families. The identity of both the donor and recipient is kept confidential. The transplant coordinators keep the donor family informed about whether the organs that have been donated by their loved one have been successfully transplanted. But personal details are kept anonymous other than sharing the age and gender of the recipient(s).

Recipients are invited to write to the donor family to express their thanks. This is a very difficult task because there are not enough adequate words in the English language to convey gratitude for the gift but sadness for the loss that the donor family has been through. The recipient sends the letter to the transplant coordinator where they had their transplant operation. This ‘home’ coordinator then sends it to the transplant coordinator team at the donor hospital. They contact the donor family and ask them if they want to receive the letter. It is then up to the donor family to decide how they respond.

Using the transplant coordinators as a go-between the two families can arrange to meet up. Some families have formed very strong bonds. Other families choose to read the letters but not take the relationship any further.

So it came as a huge surprise when Matthew’s parents attended a meeting in Birmingham during the summer of 2010 when they accidentally met up with someone who had received part of Matthew’s donated liver. The liver from a deceased donor can be split so that a small adult and a child can share the gift of life.

Vikki Medlicott became one of the very fortunate recipients. She had been diagnosed with auto-immune hepatitis when she was 14 years old. The condition worsened and by the age of 21 Vikki was told that she desperately needed a liver transplant. Her hopes of starting a family had been shattered because her condition caused her to retain body fluid. Fluid retention creates a variety of problems in terms of taking medication, exercise and trying to live a normal life. This can become life threatening when the fluid backs up into the heart and lungs. Vikki’s body struggled to cope with the fluid pressure building up on her lungs.

Unknown to her Matthew Ferguson had died – this gave Vikki’s surgeons a narrow window of opportunity to save her life. Matthew’s parents honoured his wish to be a donor which in turn saved the lives of five people. For Vikki and her partner Steve this meant they could make plans for the future which most couples take for granted.

The transformation in Vikki’s health was so tremendous that she amazed her doctors by becoming pregnant. Less than two years after her life saving transplant Vikki brought new life into the world with a lovely baby girl. Baby Jessica completed ‘the circle of life’ made possible by Matthew’s tragic death.

As Vikki said “I am so glad that his (Matt’s) parents have been able to see my beautiful baby girl and know that without their son she wouldn't be here - and neither would I.”

Matthew’s parents, Gill and Andrew Ferguson, expressed their feelings by saying "We're so glad that he was able to help Vikki - and the fact that a baby has been born thanks to him is just wonderful. We are so proud of him."

What a wonderful way for Matthew's legacy to live on.

My thanks go to Mr and Mrs Ferguson, Vikki and Jess for letting me up date Matthew's legacy. Thanks too to all the NHS staff that made all this possible - especially the Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation.

This article graphically demonstrates that by choosing to be a donor you give another person the choice of life and future generations.