A MUM who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm has saved six people’s lives through donating her organs.
Kerry Vella, who was 48, collapsed at her home in Callow End on September 21, and was taken to Coventry Hospital where she was seen by a brain specialist and then put into an induced coma, but died on October 1.
Since the death of the mobile hairdresser who worked in Worcester, her organs have been used to save the lives of six people.
Her son Dominic, 29, told the Worcester News: “My mum gave others a life – that’s what she would have wanted.
“She was a selfless person. She was a carer and looked after her mum for three years who became blind. She cancelled plans and devoted her life to helping others.
"She thought she was going to have a life after her mum passed away. She was a very good mother and a loving grandmother."
Dominic, who now lives in Australia, said the family don't yet know who benefited from his mum's organs.
“It’s too soon to know about the people she saved," he said. "But they will have the opportunity to write a letter to the family.”
Kerry donated her main organs – including her heart, kidney and lungs - which saved the lives of six others.
She spent nine days in hospital and had to have brain surgery - endovascular coiling - to stop the bleeding. The surgery meant a catheter was used to reach the aneurysm in her brain.
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A brain aneurysm is a balloon-like swelling that is caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall which supplies blood to the brain.
Dominic said: “It was only her brain that was injured. She had a lump on the brain that she didn’t know about. The rest of her was healthy.
“It came as a shock to everybody. No one expected her to go so quickly.”
Kerry had three sons and four grandchildren, and her family has set up a Go Fund Me page and are appealing for donations to help with the funeral service.
The funeral will be held at St Peter’s C of E Church, in Powick, on October 25 at 11.30am.
Kerry asked for her coffin’s exterior to be pink as it was her favourite colour. She will also be carried in a horse and carriage from her home to the church.
Dominic added: “She wouldn’t want the funeral to be gloomy. She was still a young woman and such a positive person.”
Within seven days of creating the funding page the family raised over £4,000.
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/4upmyt-kerry039s-goodbye
From spring 2020, organ donation in England will move to an ‘opt out’ system. This means that all adults will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.
The excluded groups include:
•Those under the age of 18
•People who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements and take the necessary action
•Visitors to England, and those not living here voluntarily
•People who have lived in England for less than 12 months before their death
According to the NHS Organ Donation website, it says: “The law is being changed to help save and improve more lives. Every day across the UK, someone dies waiting for a transplant.”
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