Hastings Boy, 11, Honoured For Saving Five Lives Through Organ Donation

People from the South East who have saved lives through the gift of organ donation have been posthumously honoured, including Harry Dennis, aged 11, from East Sussex.

Harry and other organ donors received the Order of St John Award for Organ Donation, run in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant for a decade, which was given to their families and loved ones on their behalf at private award ceremonies in London in May and June 2023. 

Harry loved life and was living it to the fullest, when he was involved in a car accident in December 2022. The 11-year-old was critically injured and airlifted to hospital for treatment, but sadly he could not be saved. Harry went on to save five lives by donating his organs.

His mum Maria says:

“Harry was a whirlwind, just absolutely full of life. He loved his sports and being outside, he had so many friends, he was the joker – if he made you laugh it made his day.  

“He loved football, Manchester United, and he played for a local team, Hastings Athletic. He made lots of friends through football and was a real social butterfly, always talking to people when we were out and about.

“He had just started secondary school and had settled well, he took kids under his wing and was really kind and caring.

“Harry has left a big hole, it seems so quiet and empty with him missing, which is what is so hard. He had such an impact on so many people. 

“Last December there was a car accident and Harry had to be airlifted to Kings. His lung had collapsed and there was a lack of oxygen to his brain causing it to swell. Despite every effort, nothing could be done to save him. The damage done was irreversible.

“I saw the story of a little girl who had been an organ donor on the wall in the hospital and it planted a seed, I can still picture her now. We had had a conversation as a family about organ donation but I’d completely forgotten.

“My husband reminded me, we were just chatting in the front room one day and talking about when me and Lee died and we mentioned organ donation, we’re on the register. The kids, Harry and his sister Jess, asked what it was, and we explained, they thought it was weird. I said “not really, once you’re dead and gone, you don’t need them and someone else can do all the things you’ve been able to do”. I remember Harry said “I suppose you don’t need your bits when you’re dead”.

Harry, Lee, Maria and Jess

“That was only about a month before the accident, it was a quick conversation but it was so powerful. The organ donation staff were amazing, so lovely. We knew it was the right thing to do, Harry had the most amazing jam packed 11 years of life, he was always doing something. If just a snippet of that could go to somebody else, I knew it would bring us some comfort.

“It was the toughest thing I have ever had to do but his donation makes me feel proud. I went to the Order of St John awards and felt really proud – I didn’t feel sad at that time – just proud. His donation makes me smile. Other people have got a bit of him and I like to think a bit of his personality, so their families must be thinking, what is going on when they start knee sliding in the mud at every opportunity!!! And that makes me chuckle."

Harry, from Hastings, helped five people, donating his kidneys, pancreas and liver which was split to help more than one person.

Hundreds of families are receiving the Order of St John award for organ donation across the UK this year, at regional ceremonies or privately, as the awards celebrate their tenth year.

More than 1,400 people donated their organs after their death in 2022, leading to more than 3,500 lifesaving transplants*.

Mick Messinger, Chancellor of the Priory of England and the Islands of the Order of St John, said:

“It is a pleasure and privilege to work with NHS Blood and Transplant again on a tenth year of ceremonies to mark the wonderful gifts of life given by people who chose to donate organs and their families who supported them in this decision. These events are always very emotional and I pay tribute to all the families that attend and, most of all, to their loved ones who have selflessly helped others to live after their own passing.”

Organ donation is a most precious gift and it is important that people confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register to save lives when they die. Only around 1% of people in the UK die in the circumstances to become an organ donor each year.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said:

“Organ donors and their families are truly inspirational people. Every donor transforms the lives of people they don’t know and the pride their families rightly feel is incredibly powerful.

“Patients who have received a transplant tell us that organ donors and their families are their heroes. The Order of St John awards, which we are proud to have been running with the Order of St John for ten years, are a chance for us all to recognise organ donors and their amazing contribution to society.

“We hope these awards will inspire other people in East Sussex and the South East to decide they want to donate their organs and confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Saving the lives of others is an amazing legacy to leave and donor families say donation is a source of pride that helps them in their grief. 

“We want to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to donate their organs and save lives. Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk.”

The Order of St John Award for Organ Donation features the organ donation heart logo backed by the Maltese Cross - which is used by the Order of St John - above the words ‘add life, give hope’. The award can be received at a regional ceremony or sent to a family privately. They are open to people of all faiths or of no faith.

The Order of St John Award for Organ Donation first started being given to organ donors and received by their families and loved ones in 2013 and the tenth anniversary of the awards will be celebrated soon 

For more information about organ donation, or to confirm your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, please visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. NHS app users can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.