A KENT mother has told of the mixture of sorrow and pride she felt after hearing that her son's organs had saved four men's lives. Philomena Turner's life was turned upside down in October when her 18-year-old son, Mark, died after being run over while on holiday in Spain.

Mrs Turner and her family flew out to Malaga to hold a bedside vigil for more than 30 hours before doctors told them Mark had no chance of survival. After an agonising discussion with doctors, the Turner family agreed to turn off his life support machine and donate his organs to save others.

Then, just three days after Christmas, Mrs Turner received a letter from the Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga informing her that four men had been saved with Mark's organs.

Mrs Turner, of Grasmere Grove, Frindsbury, near Strood, said: "At first it was a real blow to receive the news just after Christmas. I hated reading about what had been done to Mark' body. But later I felt so proud that he had saved these lives. He was such a loving and giving individual, I know this is what he would have wanted."

Marks's kidney and pancreas saved the life of a 35-year-old man from Seville who was suffering from chronic kidney failure and diabetes. A 45-year-old man in intensive care with cardiac failure also received a lifeline from Mark's heart.

A 35-year-old man from Almeria was given the gift of life with Mark's kidney while a 26-year-old man suffering with cystic fibrosis received his lungs. All four have left hospital in Spain with the organs working well. The hospital wrote to the Turners to thank them for their help.