A widow has explained why she felt able to donate her husband’s organs after he died.

Tristan Lewis passed away last year after a cardiac arrest at work at Medway Maritime Hospital.

The 56-year-old had cycled to work, just like any other day, but he ended up in the hospital’s intensive care unit before losing his fight for life 12 days later.

His widow Gill Fargher, who lives in Rochester, said the decision to offer his organs for transplant was made easier because she knew that was what he wanted.

“For the last few days we knew he was going to die and because we had spoken about organ donation I knew that he wanted to be an organ donor.

“You never imagine you are going to be in that situation.”

Nationally, almost 90% of families agree to organ donation if they know about their relative’s wishes, but this falls to 47% if they don’t. This is one of the reasons for Turn an End into a Beginning campaign.

It hopes to raise awareness of organ donation and encourage more families to talk about their donation wishes and sign up to the organ donation register.

Dr Fargher, 57, said: “I have been a GP for a very long time and I thought I had an inkling of understanding – I realise now that I don’t.

“As a relative in intensive care the difficulties are tremendous, but I had to face the
possibility he was going to die.

“I would have felt that I had let Tris down if the transplants hadn’t been successful, but luckily they were.

“I am missing a massive part of my life. He was a huge character. He loved so many things, from adventure sports and paragliding to Shakespeare and bread- making.”

The couple were married for 10 years and Mr Lewis worked in computer logistics before starting a second degree in operating department practice at Canterbury Christ Church University.

His funeral was held two days after he should have been at his graduation ceremony.

Mr Lewis is among those who have donated their organs to save the lives of others who have been commemorated in a piece of artwork at Medway hospital.

The Gift of Life, which spans four floors in the hospital’s main atrium, features more than 120 birds that inhabit the Medway estuary flying together to form a heart shape around the wording Gift of Life before soaring up to the highest parts of the wall.

The artwork, which represents freedom and new life, was installed by the Hospital Art Studio.

Trust bosses wanted to commemorate the generosity of patients and family members and encourage people to talk to their families about organ donation.

Dr Fargher said since her husband’s death she had started to volunteer for the organ donation committee to try to raise the profile of organ donation.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust is backing the campaign and in the last five years 101 patients have received donated organs, but in Kent 140 people are still waiting for transplants.

Paul Hayden, clinical lead for organ donation, said: “The facts are that back in 2008 we had 8,000 a year in the UK waiting for a lifesaving transplant – now we have got that figure down to 6,500.

“There’s two to three people that die every day because we can’t find a suitable donor.
“We want to try and encourage as many people as possible to join the organ donation register.”

• Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 12323223. You can share your decision on Twitter using #YesIDonate