A 27-year-old man who died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage has saved the lives of six people through organ donation. Alex Newlove, from Tarleton, Lancashire, was living his dream life in Chicago before he fell ill while home for Christmas in 2020.
His mother, Judy Coutinho, 59, said she instinctively knew he would want to be a donor, despite never discussing it. She later discovered he had signed the organ donor register four times. 'What's the point of them not helping other people? It wasn't going to bring Alex back,' she told BBC Radio Manchester.
Since his death, Ms Coutinho has been in touch with some of the recipients' families. A 16-year-old girl who received a donation recently celebrated her GCSE results, and a little boy who received part of Alex's liver is doing well. 'It's heartwarming and reinforces that it was the right thing to do,' she said.
Ms Coutinho is now supporting an NHS campaign urging people to share their organ donation wishes with family. 'It's an incredible gift and legacy to leave if the unthinkable happens,' she added. Under England's opt-out law, all adults are presumed willing donors unless they opt out, but families are still consulted, and only 39% of people have shared their decision.
