An incredible gesture from a Washington haulage firm has seen the adorable face of tot Beatrix Adamson-Archbold adorn the sides of a lorry in hope of encouraging drivers up and down the country to consider how vital organ donation is.
Little Beatrix, two, from Burnopfield, County Durham, is awaiting a heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. And her family - like many others at the Freeman's Children's Heart Unit - are desperate to encourage as many people as possible to think about organ donation if that is ever an option. Beatrix's story has touched many around the North East.
She was rushed to hospital last May after falling ill - and she soon underwent open heart surgery. As she, and many others, wait for transplants, family firm Hawthorn logistics have put a huge sign encouraging organ donation and featuring Beatrix on one of its trailers.
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Chris Kilsby, director at Hawthorn Logistics, explained: "Our daughter Heather bought Beatrix’s situation to our attention, she asked if we could wrap a trailer to get awareness for Beatrix and other children in the same situation as we do for two charities: The Great North Air Ambulance and the Dragonfly Cancer trust.
"What better way than having a mobile billboard that is 13.6 meters long running between Scotland and London daily. And if it saves one child’s life it will be worth it."
Beatrix's family explained it was "really kind" and added: "It's certainly start conversations up and down the country." The tot's parents Terry and Cheryl have spent the time since Beatrix was taken ill urging families to have hard conversations and to consider organ donation.
Of course, it's something that is only possible in tragic cases, and this is something the couple know all too well. Their daughter Isabel was stillborn in 2018 and they made the difficult decision to donate her organs to help children who were in need of a transplant.
They're now, with other families of little ones at the Freeman, waiting hopefully for a transplant to become available - and in the mean time they want to make a difference and get families thinking about the issue.
Beatrix's message, also on the back of the Hawthorn lorry, is simple: "Would you accept a donated organ to save your child? Would you give that same gift of life to help several others?"
Last week, NHS Blood and Transplant was raising awareness of the lifesaving gift of organ donation given by North East people who died suddenly. These included the families of Connor Marchbanks, from Forest Hall, and Danny Humble, from Cramlington, who were honoured with awards.
At an event highlighting the importance of organ donation in Newcastle's Eldon Square in February, transplant nurse Dominic Manning told ChronicleLive: "There are a lot of children in the Freeman waiting for transplants of one kind or another.
"In general there are always more people on the transplant list than there are organs available. Donating an organ saves lives. It's really important that people have that discussion to make clear what their feelings [on organ donation] are.
"If your loved one is admitted to hospital in a very quick emergency situation it's incredibly traumatic. You are likely to be grieving and upset - so having to have those discussions at that stage can be quite difficult. That's why it's good for you to already know what someone would want. It makes supporting that decision easier."
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