Donor Hero: Kevin Maddick

by Janet Spann

My brother was my hero. He was diagnosed with Mesothalioma in April 2006 and underwent chemotherapy for 6 months but unfortunately this never helped him and just made him terribly ill. He wanted to go for a second round but Doctors told him it wouldn’t help him sadly.

He worked in the building industry for many years and this is where he came into contact with Asbestos. He fought a very brave battle for the next 18months and always believed in Organ Donation. So he signed up to donate but because of his type of cancer he could only give Eye Tissue which he was happy to donate. He passed away on 7th Dec 2007, aged 57 yrs and donated to the Tissue Bank.

I had contact with his recipient soon after. It was a young lady and her operation had been successful at that stage and she was living a new life with restored eyesight. My brother would have been so happy to know he made a difference to someones life as we the rest of his family were.

Kevin also had received some compensation for the Asbestos and left the Mesothalioma Research at Prince Charles Hospital a donation of $40,000. He hoped that that donation would help find a cure for others. He truly was a selfless human being and will always be my hero.