A Scottish baby has been hailed as a 'superhero' after he saved a little girl in London by donating his heart following his tragic death.
Sonny Plenderleith was rushed to A&E at 14 months old after he developed a rash and a temperature at home in March 2024. He was taken to the paediatric intensive care unit at Glasgow Children's Hospital where he was treated for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease. Sadly, he died two days later after the infection spread to his brain.
Parents' decision to donate
Parents Caroline Winn and Neil Plenderleith, both aged 46, decided to donate Sonny's organs to help stop someone from experiencing a similar heartbreak to theirs. A little girl in London got Sonny's heart and an older lady got his kidneys.
Caroline, who is originally from Glenrothes, told the Record: "Sonny is a superhero. I'm so proud of him for saving a little girl's life. That's his legacy. The transplant team told us there was a four-month-old baby girl waiting for a heart transplant who'd never left Great Ormond Street Hospital since she was born. I don't think she would have survived without the transplant.
"We knew we had to give her Sonny's heart. We wanted our awful experience to have a positive outcome. To know that his heart has gone on to beat even though he's not alive is tragic and special. We turned our despair into hope."
Illness and final days
Medics originally suspected Sonny had a viral or respiratory tract infection but he was later treated for pneumococcal disease caused by the bacteria streptococcus pneumoniae. The condition can range in seriousness from ear and sinus infections to pneumonia and bloodstream infections - and in its severest forms can cause sepsis.
The tot initially showed signs of recovery but his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was placed in an induced coma. He passed away two days later after suffering from cerebral edema; his brain becoming inflamed.
Legacy and recognition
Sonny's parents wrote to the baby girl's family a few months later and they wrote back to express their gratitude. The organ donation team later told the couple that Sonny was the youngest organ donor in Scotland at the time.
The family also received The Order of St John UK Award for Organ Donation - a national honour that posthumously recognised deceased organ and tissue donors and their families for their life-saving gifts.
Caroline said: "The family said we'd given their daughter a second chance at life that they didn't think she'd have.
"We don't know the details of her condition but she needed the transplant urgently and her parents would have been desperate. I believe she had a sibling. We were going through the worst time of our lives for different reasons.
"We were conscious that the parents had a very ill baby at home and we were in the throes of devastation and grief. We'll maybe write to them again in the future.
"Sonny was a happy, smiley, charismatic boy. Nothing will ever feel okay again for us and we can't think beyond each day, but it's important for us to know that part of him lives on. We don't want people to forget him."
Caroline also issued an urgent plea for people to consider organ donation. She said: "I understand how difficult it is to leave your baby in the hospital and pass them over to a transplant team. But knowing that they're not going to survive, but you have the chance to save another baby's life, is comforting."
