Little baby Teddy was a true hero . Although his body was too weak after birth to cling for life for more than minutes, his organs were donated to save another. Prior to his birth, his parents, Jess Evans and Mike Houlston, made the heartbreaking decision to donate their tragic baby boy’s organs to help save another’s life, according to the Mirror.
When pregnant for 12 weeks, Jess was given the tragic news that one of her twins would die within a day or two at most. He had anencephaly, a condition in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull, which is deadly . His twin brother, Noah, survived and is a healthy child, according to the Huffington Post.
Baby Teddy was born on April 22, 2014, and lasted 100 minutes. But his life had meaning, as he saved another. Despite the agony his parents had in losing him, they had investigated whether he could be an organ donor. It turned out that he was a candidate. So his parents authorized his donating his organs, and as a newborn, Teddy Houlston’s kidneys and heart valves were taken in a pioneering surgery. He was the youngest organ donor in England.
His father, Mike, 30, said, “He lived and died a hero. It’s impossible to explain how proud we are of him.” And his mother Jess, 28, said the following, according to the Mirror.
“Although he wasn’t with us very long, and we brought him into the world knowing there was no hope of a life for him, we are incredibly proud of his heroism. We hope Teddy’s story will inspire families who find themselves in the position of losing a child. Knowing part of your loved one is living on in someone else is comforting….It helps us so much to know he has helped someone else and helped doctors realize donation from small babies is possible and is something people like us want to make happen.”
Teddi’s kidneys saved the life of a patient with renal failure. Mike and Jess have since exchanged letters with the patient.
More than 7,000 people are on the organ transplant list in the United Kingdom, and three people die daily waiting for a donor. Dr. Paul Murphy, of Britain’s National Health Service’s Blood and Transplant, described Teddy’s gift of life as a “milestone moment” and said the following, according to the Mirror.
“These are magnificent achievements. But Teddy’s legacy must go far beyond this. [The doctor hopes that Teddy’s story will spark] a revolution in public attitudes [and end] senseless waste of life….In handing their baby over to the transplant team, Mike and Jess did so with love and hope and an absolute conviction that they were doing the right thing. In telling Teddy’s story, they demand that everyone, young and old, follows their example.”
The donation was a true mission of love and has, happily, led to a 40 percent increase in organ donation , according to the National Health Service, as reported in the Mirror.
The family often thinks about Teddy and how his life would have been. When Billie, Jess’s daughter, is asked where Teddy is and what he’s doing, she replied without hesitation, according to the Mirror.
“Heaven. Playing football.”
They have even set up a Facebook page in Teddy’s honor , as well as a fundraising page and Twitter account.
There are many good, altruistic people in the world. An 18-year-old named Xie Xu has a big heart has helped his physically disabled friend, Xie, for the past three years. He has carried him to classes, as reported in an article in the Inquisitr.
[Photo Courtesy Twitter]