Ali and Sam Smith were concerned their two-year-old Barnaby had been in the sun too long while the family enjoyed a weekend BBQ. Concerned, too, that he had refused to nap out of an energetic desire to play with friends.

In the days that followed, Barnaby, affectionately known as Barney, suffered from a temperature and wasn’t really himself. By Friday the family were in Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Despite showing none of the usual symptoms, little Barney had contracted pneumococcal meningitis and would never recover. Ali and Sam, from Rugby, discussed a topic no parent should ever have to discuss - that of child organ donation.

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"We had seen a display in the hospital and I had brought it up, under the guise of a 'worst case scenario' as his death was still fiction for us," Ali said. "Sam's response 'of course, Barney loved to share, but it won't ever get to that' will always stick in my mind.

"So when we were given the news that nothing more could be done for Barney, the only thing we could think of was, 'what could he do for other people?'" Ali and Sam filled in the appropriate forms consenting to the use of Barney's organs upon his death.

After Barney 'went live' into the system his liver and both kidneys were matched. "One morning last spring, sat in the prep room for surgery, Barney's heart stopped beating in my arms," Sam said.

Barney Smith, from Rugby, lost his life when he was only two, but his donated organs have been life-saving
Barney Smith, from Rugby, lost his life when he was only two, but his donated organs have been life-saving

"Barney’s liver went to save the life of a boy around Barney's age and his kidneys went to an older woman who had been on dialysis for over four years. Barney lives on in his gifts to them and for this, we shall be forever grateful.

"If anything can make the sudden loss of your child, even a smidgen easier, for us it was knowing this. Child organ donation is something that is not spoken about enough.

"Even when we spoke about it, it was still a fantasy, something to happen on TV, not to us, not to Barney. But it is a conversation that everyone should have.

"It made that decision for us so much easier, in what was the worst moment of our lives. After all, it might not be your child donating organs, but needing them."

Barney Smith's organs saved the lives of a boy his age and an older woman
Barney Smith's organs saved the lives of a boy his age and an older woman

Barney was posthumously honoured for his life-saving exploits at a moving awards ceremony, run in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant, in Birmingham. Sam and Ali collected an Order of St John Award for Organ Donation on Barney's behalf.

Anthony Clarkson, from NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Organ donors and their families are truly inspirational people. Every donor transforms the lives of people they don’t know and the pride their families rightly feel is incredibly powerful.

"Patients who have received a transplant tell us that organ donors and their families are their heroes. The Order of St John awards are a chance for us all to recognise organ donors and their amazing contribution to society."

For more information about organ donation or to register, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. NHS app users can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.

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