A MOTHER grieving the loss of her eldest son just before Christmas has spoken of how her heart lifted ‘a wee bit’ after learning that organs donated from his body have given four people the gift of life.

Mandy Masterson, from Cornagrade Road, Enniskillen, told The Impartial Reporter that she has been left “devastated” by the death of her 27-year-old son Christopher on December 23, 2017.

“It broke my heart, to tell you the truth. It’s hard to cope without him,” she said.

Mr. Masterson, who was a father of one, died after spending several days on a life support machine in the South West Acute Hospital.

His mother said: “I don’t know how anyone can get over the loss of a child, no matter what age they were. He is constantly in my thoughts, day and night.”

Following his death, his family made the decision to have his organs donated.

“We felt this is what he would have wanted. It was a hard decision to make,” Mrs. Masterson said.

She revealed that her son had previously offered one of his kidneys to his aunt and godmother Margaret, who was in need of a transplant.

“They didn’t get a chance to check if there was a match,” she said.

Now, the Enniskillen woman has received a letter from the NHS informing her that, at the time of writing, four people had benefited from her son’s organ donation.

The letter stated: “A gentleman in his thirties received a kidney and pancreas transplant after nearly a year on the waiting list. Another gentleman in his thirties received a kidney transplant also after a wait of 12 months on the transplant waiting list. A gentleman in his twenties received a liver transplant and a gentleman in his fifties received a heart transplant.”

It concluded: “Once again thank you for supporting Christopher in becoming an organ donor; his gift can never be underestimated.”

After reading the letter, Mrs. Masterson admitted that her heart had lifted “a wee bit”.

She said: “Somebody has part of him and it’s saved their life. I might be sad today at the loss of Christopher, but somebody else is happy to have a life. It helps to know that he has saved the lives of four other people.”

According to NHS figures, there are currently around 6,500 people on the UK transplant waiting list.

Last year, nearly 500 people died while waiting for a transplant.

Mrs. Masterson is urging anyone considering signing up as an organ donor to just “go for it”.

She said: “It’s a hard decision, but knowing somebody has lived gives you a wee bit of relief. You’re making somebody happy and giving them the gift of life.”

For more information on organ donation, visit the website at: www.organdonation.nhs.uk