The parents of teenager Oisín McGrath have spoken for the first time this week about the fact that his donated heart “beats on” and gives them some comfort as they try to come to terms with his death.

The 13 year old suffered serious injuries following an incident at St. Michael’s College in February and died four days later.

Sharon and Nigel McGrath have this week spoken about the anguish of coming to the decision to donate his organs.

Considering donating a loved ones organs “is an extremely difficult discussion to have in the midst of trauma in an intensive care unit,” the McGraths say.

“While it was a difficult decision to donate Oisín’s organs, it was something that we probably knew we would do even from when it was first discussed. It was a devastating time for us and we were initially reluctant to even speak to the specialist nurse for Organ Donation, but, looking back, that was more about not wanting to believe what had happened and also because we were still fighting for our son, praying and willing him to pull through.” They add: “If Oisín’s life could have been saved by someone else’s organs, we would have grabbed that opportunity, so how could we not allow Oisín to give his gift to others?

“It was the right thing to do, we feel, knowing Oisín’s generosity of spirit, he would have wanted us to do it.” They hope the setting up of the Oisin McGrath Foundation, which was officially launched at Brewster Park on Sunday evening, will inspire other people and families to consider organ donation. The grieving parents believe that “generous in life and generous in death” perfectly sums up their only son.

Following the launch of the Oisín McGrath Foundation at Brewster Park on Sunday, Sharon and Nigel told The Impartial Reporter how their son “gave the gift of life to five people,” including a 10-year-old girl, who received his heart. “Oisín has given that little girl the gift of life and has spared her family the suffering and loss of their daughter. We get some comfort knowing that Oisín’s heart beats on and that something positive has come out of this.” The Belcoo parents “hope that Oisín’s story will inspire other people and families to consider organ donation.” They want to “encourage everyone to talk about it as a family so that each is clear how other family members feel about it”.

“If your family already know your wishes and you have talked about it, this could make a huge decision that little bit easier.” • See pages six and seven for coverage of the Oisin McGrath Foundation launch.