Scarborough buildings to light up pink in honour of loving mum's gift of life

Adrienne Wilson, 74, passed away suddenly two weeks ago at Scarborough hospital due to a bleed on the brain.

Her devastated family were then faced with making the unenviable decision of whether or not to donate her organs.

Daughter Jenny Hall said: “It has been such a dark time, but we were united as a family that my mum would have been honoured to be a donor and save lives.

“She was a real people person and always wanted to help others, so it is fitting that she was able to do this.

“We were shocked and completely unaware that so very few people, get the opportunity to ever be a donor, even if they have joined the donor register.

“There are a very specific set of conditions in which you pass away and then the family need to give consent.

“Any hesitation from family members will stop the journey, even if the donor has ticked a box to be a donor.”

Just 0.3% of people registered to donate will ever get the opportunity. Last year there were just 10 organ donors in the York and Scarborough Trust, and only 11 the year before that.

Jenny said: “As a family it was a very easy decision to make, we knew that mum would want to donate.

“The donor flag flew above the hospital for my mum after her organ donation and we were very proud of her final gift of life.

“It has given us great comfort that she was able to donate and that we could support her wishes at this difficult time.

Mrs Wilson’s celebration of life will take place on Friday, September 27, which coincidentally is during NHS Organ Donation awareness week (Sept 23-29).

Jenny Hall said: “This felt like the perfect opportunity for us to support the campaign and create a bigger legacy in my mum's name.

“We will be wearing pink at her funeral (the campaign colour) and talking about her act of donation and encouraging others to talk about their wishes with their families.

“More significantly, the campaign is also encouraging buildings and landmarks across the UK to be lit up pink during the week.

“My sister and I felt quite passionate about getting Scarborough involved, and Scarborough Spa (from Monday) and the Rotunda Museum (from Sunday) have both confirmed they will be lit up pink.

“The awareness campaign will hopefully lead to more organ donation opportunities if families have spoken about it beforehand.

“We were lucky we knew mum's wishes. She donated her liver and two kidneys, and we’ve already had a letter to say the kidney donations have been successful.

“We are devastated at the loss of our beloved mum, yet proud to be part of her legacy to help save others.”

Mrs Wilson is survived by her husband, Peter, daughters Jenny Hall and Chrissie Pearson and her six grandchildren.

Her celebration of life will take place on Friday, September 27 with family flowers only, but donations to the MS Society.

Further enquiries to B Bernard & Sons.