A mum who lost her son in a horror crash was blown away upon receiving a letter from a diabetic dad whose life was saved by organs donated from her “amazing” boy.
The man was one of three people given a second shot at life after receiving Reece James Clarke’s organs, proving to his parents he was doing good even after he died.
Reece was riding his motorbike on April 23, 2019, travelling home from the first day of his new job, when he was hit by a blue Transit van.
He was rushed to hospital with severe head injuries and spent the following day, his 21st birthday, in hospital with his family at his bedside, the Liverpool Echo reported.
After doctors put Reece into an induced coma, his mum and dad were asked to sign a do not resuscitate form and questioned on whether their son was an organ donor.
Looking back at the events of two years ago , Recce's mum, Karen O'Flaherty, of Orrell Park, said she was ''traumatised”.
"I couldn't sign any of it, I couldn't do it, his dad signed it for me,” the 45-year-old said.
"After thinking about the organs, we realised it's exactly what Reece would have done and wanted, so they kept him on ice until the organs could be recovered.”
Karen recalled being bothered by how cold her son was.
“I just wanted to warm him up by putting blankets on him, but the doctors kept telling me off,” she said.
Recce's organs would later save three people's lives, including that of a dad-of-one who wrote to the family after his transplant.
The transplant recipient, Andrew, was diagnosed with type one diabetes later on in his life and was left on dialysis when his kidney began to fail.
In the letter he wrote about the day his doctor called with a 'perfect match' and said how the family's strength meant he could be 'reborn'.
Because of the kidney and pancreas he received from Reece, the dad was able to teach his five year old son to ride a bike.
He would “always be thinking” about his transplant family, he added.
Karen said she was blown away when she first read the letter, which proved to her that the family made the right decision.
“I remember I had all of this pain and this letter just reminded me of all the good Reece was doing even after he died,” she said.
In the court case following the crash, the driver of the van, John Anthony Henry, 41, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving but walked free after getting a suspended sentence.
The knowledge that Henry is walking the streets makes her “feel sick”, Karen said.
"I know that no sentence can ever bring back my boy, but I think the sentence should have reflected what happened. We're heartbroken that Reece is gone, he never did anything wrong and he was going places.
"All he wanted was to have a happy life, a good job, a girlfriend and kids in the future.
"He always wanted to do everything properly."
Since the day of his death, Karen said it had been a “day-by-day” struggle coming to terms with what happened.
She had lost jobs as a result of the trauma, she said, though she noted the family had managed to “come together” to deal with the pain.
“My husband has been my rock along with various family members and friends,” she said.
"You just need to keep going and live your life for them, you know."
