An 18-year-old from Weybridge, Surrey, who died after a catastrophic epileptic seizure has saved three lives through organ donation. Patrick Leonard was inspired to become a donor after a school assembly by his head of sixth form, who had donated bone marrow.
Patrick suffered a fatal seizure on August 26 last year and was declared brain dead. His lungs were donated to a man in his 20s, and his kidneys to a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s. His father Christopher, 55, said the family found comfort in knowing Patrick's wishes.
Patrick had been diagnosed with epilepsy in 2024 after his first seizure in October. He began medication that Christmas, which also seemed to lift his depression. Despite ongoing seizures, he remained positive and continued his A-levels online.
His father said the family never focused on the possibility of death from epilepsy, which affects around 600,000 people in Britain. Patrick's mother found him fitting on August 26; he was rushed to hospital but did not survive.
The family received a thank you letter from one recipient, describing a life they had not thought possible without a donor. Christopher said: 'We couldn't be more proud of him.'
