In Mark's memory

Karen and Mark met as 18-year-old students. They married and settled in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. They'd given blood together for years.

"They've had a pint of my Yorkshire finest," Mark told Karen, on the way out one day after donating. "If anything ever happens, they can just have the lot!"

Sadly, though, something tragic was to happen only a few months later.

Mark was rushed into intensive care having suffered an unexpected and catastrophic brain bleed. He would not recover.

In the midst of her heartbreak, however, Karen knew that Mark had made a decision. She knew that he wanted to be an organ donor.

"Mark was a very caring and compassionate man in life," Karen says. "His generosity and kindness knew no bounds.

"I knew his organ donation decision. I knew he wanted to be a donor."

Mark, who was a fundraiser for the Leeds branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind, was able to help eight people through his donations.

"The Specialist Nurse was a very, very nice man – a very caring man – and he confirmed to me that Mark's organs could be used for donation," Karen says. "He didn't make me feel rushed or pressured into making a decision, but I was able to ask questions.

"I remember asking him if he could just make sure none of Mark's organs went to a Chelsea or Arsenal fan – Mark was a Tottenham fan, and I don't think he'd appreciate that!

"He just said, 'there isn't a place on the form for that,' and I smiled and said, 'that's ok.'"

"It's quite an amazing list when someone tells you a whole series of organs and tissue that can be used to help other people."

Mark's heart went to a 19-year-old man. He donated his pancreas, lungs, small bowel, and corneas. Karen has met the men who received his liver and kidney.

"I was quite comforted by the fact that a nurse stayed with Mark all the time.

"The nurse rang to tell me that the donation procedure was starting and then again to say when it had finished.

"I was just thinking about all those people who could have been waiting a long time, waiting for a phone call.

"They could have had their bags packed for weeks, months even and I just thought 'gosh, this process is taking place now and they're probably at their hospital being prepped to receive a transplant.'

"That was quite an amazing feeling to think that Mark wasn't there, but he was going to help so many people."

Mark, too, had helped Karen, by letting her know his organ donation decision.

In the years since Mark died, Karen has become a passionate advocate for organ donation, encouraging others to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

She has also been able to meet Adam and Pete.

Adam, who received one of Mark's kidneys, was able to marry his childhood sweetheart, Alex because of it. The couple now have their own home together.

Pete is a well-known artist, from nearby Sheffield, who needed a liver transplant after discovering he had a hereditary condition affecting his lungs and liver. He's since created artwork for internationally renowned musicians, toured several exhibitions around the country, and taken up golf, in Mark's memory.

"I feel pride and joy that I was able to agree to organ donation on Mark's behalf," says Karen.

"It's amazing to think that my decision, because I knew what Mark wanted, has helped all of those people."

9 in 10 families agree to support organ donation when they know what their loved one wanted.

The clearest way to guide your family is to register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. It takes just two minutes and you could save up to nine lives.

Please search 'organ donor register' or use the NHS App to confirm your decision.