A generous father-of-three is believed to have made history after donating two of his organs to complete strangers.
Steven Norrie, of Whalley Road, Accrington, agreed to have major surgery to remove 30 per cent of his liver to save a young child. Four years ago the 40-year-old donated one of his kidneys to another anonymous recipient.
Steven has now entered the record books after becoming, it is believed, the first ‘altruistic donor’ to donate two separate organs in the UK.
He said: “I’m proud to be part of that and feel very lucky being in a situation that allows me to do it. It’s unusual that it has gone to a stranger.
“It was breaking new ground in that respect. Fortunately they felt I was a suitable candidate.
“It’s a short term inconvenience for long term benefit. A couple of months of reduced mobility and a bit of discomfort is a very small price to pay when you are aware you have saved the life of a child. It gets you through the darker moments.”
Steven, who is father to Maisie, 16, Laughlan, 14, and Caleb, 10, said he wanted to donate another organ after his previous surgery in 2011 made a ‘life changing difference’.
He said: “I was very taken by the idea. I spent a few months considering it and decided when I was out for a walk on New Year’s Day this year.
“At the time I was thinking about what I wanted to achieve this year. I knew it was my 40th birthday and I wanted to do something significant.
“There was a little bit of hesitancy from the doctors as nobody had yet donated a kidney and a liver to a stranger.
“The majority of organs are donated to family, relatives or very close friends but here you don’t know who is going to get it. It’s like giving blood.”
Steven underwent surgery at Leeds St James’ Hospital following several months of ‘intensive’ assessments including an ECG, MRI and ultra-sound scans, blood testing and a psychological interview.
He said: “It was a very intensive process but very reassuring as it’s all done to protect the donor.
“I have had great support from my family and I’m also in good health.
“People have been extremely sweet and generous and fully supportive and my work gave me eight weeks with pay.
“My partner and ex-wife have made me promise not to give away anything else so I will now only give blood.”
Experts have confirmed that Steven is understood to have broken new ground after donating part of his liver as well as his kidney.
Lisa Burnapp, of Living Donation, Organ Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We believe Mr Norrie is the first person to altruistically donate both a kidney and then part of their liver at UK hospitals.
“Another UK resident has previously altruistically donated a kidney and then part of their liver, with the kidney donation carried out outside the UK.”
She said that more than 100 donors volunteer each year to donate a kidney to someone they do not know. However, altruistic liver donation is much less common.
She added: “Living donation is highly successful but most people do not have someone who can donate to them, and only some organs can be donated from a living person. Patients waiting for a transplant rely heavily on the generosity of people donating their organs after death.”
Allan Marriott-Smith, chief executive, of the Human Tissue Authority, said: “To give an organ to a loved one is an incredible act of generosity. That Steven has given twice to people he doesn’t know is truly remarkable.”
Find out more about living and deceased organ donation, at www.organdonation.nhs.uk .
