Organ donor heroes celebrated at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham with new memorial wall

By: Matt Leclere mleclere@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 16:47, 28 September 2021

Updated: 16:49, 28 September 2021

A new memorial wall has been unveiled at a hospital honouring the heroes who have donated organs to save the lives of seriously ill patients.

The ceremony at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham recognised the generosity of organ and tissue donors with 74 names immortalised on the new Hero Wall.

A new organ donor memorial wall commemorating people who have helped save lives by donating organs has been unveiled at Medway hospital in Gillingham. From left Dr Paul Hayden, Medway NHS Trust clinical lead for organ donation, Dr Gill Fargher, chairman of the trust’s organ donation committee, Jo Palmer Medway NHS Trust chairman and Dr Dale Gardiner national clinical lead at NHS Blood and Transplant

Among the speakers was chairman of Medway NHS Trust's organ donation committee Dr Gill Fargher, whose husband Tristan Lewis is named on the wall after donating organs and tissue when he died.

Dr Fargher said at the event held at the hospital on Thursday: "I am so very proud to be addressing you all for two main reasons. The first is that we are here to celebrate the unveiling of our Hero Wall.

"This has come to fruition after almost three years and at times, we weren’t always sure that we would succeed.

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"Thanks, however, to the collaboration and hard work of many amazing people across several organisations, we are here to honour our donors with this very special memorial.

"The second reason I am especially proud today is that I am here as a donor family representative. I am the widow of an organ and tissue donor."

The event was also attended by Medway NHS trust organ donation team surgeons, trust chairman Jo Palmer and head of the NHS Blood and Transplant organisation Dr Dale Gardiner, who officially revealed the plaque.

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch was present for the virtual ceremony and described the event as "inspiring".

She said: "Lovely to be able to join the unveiling of the Hero Wall at Medway Maritime Hospital honouring the bravery and generosity of organ and tissue donors, who have given the gift of life to many others after their death."

Dr Fargher, a former Medway GP, added: "Organ donation and tissue donation are some of the most complex, collaborative, time critical processes to take place within the NHS.

"The gifts that your loved ones have made has ensured that a number of desperately ill people in need of life saving or life transforming transplants have been able to realise that wish.

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"The benefits to the individuals concerned, their families and to society in general are immeasurable.

"We are here today to honour our donors with this very special memorial"

"In recognizing the gifts that your loved ones, supported by you, have made, I hope that today will reinforce pride in that decision and that remarkable achievement.

"You made a choice, a completely selfless choice, looking beyond the devastating personal loss that you were facing to donate your loved one’s organs and tissues, giving the ultimate gift, the gift of life.

"I sincerely hope that the justified pride in that generosity will sustain you and bring you comfort, because it is something of which I remain immensely proud."

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