Tragic Carshalton teen gave organs to save lives of others (From Surrey Comet)

Tragic Carshalton teen gave organs to save lives of others

7:40am Friday 10th February 2012 in Sutton By Matt Watts

The heart of a gifted teenager who died from meningitis saved the life of a six-year-old boy.

In a moving first interview following the death of her daughter Georgia in July last year, Carolyn Tait, 47, spoke about how her daughter’s organs were able to save the lives of others.

She said: “If we can salvage anything from losing her, it helps.

"Christmas morning it was so difficult because Georgia was not with us, but I also remembered a family would be spending Christmas with their little boy.

“Before Georgia died we were praying for a miracle, but that little boy’s family would also have been doing the same.

"Their miracle was answered.”

She said her family had decided her daughter’s organs should be donated, not knowing that Georgia herself had signed up for a donor card herself, because “she was a giving person who always thought of others”.

Her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys saved the lives of four people.

Georgia died from meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning) on Sunday, July 14, last year surrounded by her family after first displaying symptoms of the disease on the previous day – her 18th birthday.

She had been feeling ill after returning from a holiday to Kos, Greece, with friends to celebrate completing her A-levels. Her mother was later to find out Georgia gained straight As.

The year 13 pupil, from Carshalton, a house captain at Sutton High School, had collected school awards two days before and was looking forward to starting university in September.

Mrs Tait said she had taken her daughter to hospital on Saturday after becoming increasingly concerned about her health.

She had woken with aching hands and legs and a tiny purple dot on her knuckle which did not disappear under pressure – the first time symptoms of the killer brain bug had shown themselves.

Mrs Tait said the previous day Georgia had felt too unwell to go out for a family meal to celebrate her birthday, but had managed to open presents.

Her condition quickly deteriorated in hospital and she died the following day.

Mrs Tait took her daughter to hospital after suspecting meningitis, even though, days before, a doctor suspected she was fighting a virus and recommended rest, paracetamol and ibruprofen, she said.

Her mother is now backing Meningitis UK’s Trust Your Instincts campaign for people to have the confidence to trust their instincts if they suspect meningitis and to reseek medical help if they still suspect the disease.

For more information on signs and symptoms of meningitis, and to find out more about its Search 4 a Vaccine campaign, visit meningitis-trust.org.