As a keen donor Andy Seymour was glad that his parting gift was to leave a legacy to help others.
The father-of-three from Swinton donated his corneas, a transplant facilitated by St Ann’s Hospice in Little Hulton where he was a patient.
Andy, a warehouse operative, died of cancer in January aged 52, having been a registered organ donor for more than 20 years.
Wife Sue said: “Andy had always given blood and we were both quite passionate about being on the donor list to help save the lives of others.
“We didn’t think a transplant would be possible because of his illness so we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that he could donate his corneas.
“Something positive has come out of his death and he was happy to give his consent to help someone else.”
Andy with the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Andy took part in art therapy sessions as a day care patient at St Ann’s for two years before becoming an inpatient.
Sue added: “He loved the hospice and we both appreciated the support and care he received from St Ann’s Hospice.”
Dr Philip Lomax, Medical Director at St Ann’s Hospice, said: “On behalf of St Ann’s Hospice we’d like to offer our deepest sympathies to the Seymour family for their sad loss.
“We are grateful for Andy’s generosity in becoming a donor and allowing something positive to come out of his death.
“It can be really hard to ask a patient or a grieving family about becoming donors and although we have facilitated corneal transplants in the past, this doesn’t happen often enough.
“Hopefully, Andy’s story will raise awareness that more organ donations might be possible for other hospice patients.”
Main image: Sue and Andy Seymour
