Big hearted Craig, 24, has given life to others

Craig, 24, and his girlfriend Aimee Wardley were ‘inseparable’, according to his mother, Christine, and were saving for a place together.

Instead, Craig’s life was snatched from him after a ‘spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage’ that has devastated his family and friends including Aimee, Christine, his sister Charlotte, 27, and his father, Richard, who he worked with everyday as an electrician.

But Christine said the fact that Craig’s organs had been taken and used to save at least three lives, with cells from organs such as his liver contributing to saving many more, was giving the family comfort in the midst of their tragedy.

Christine, 47, of Haywards Heath Road, Balcombe said: “Craig was a very warm person and known for his big heart and now it is saving someone else’s life.”

Despite the awareness of organ transplant and donation it is still unusual for organs from a young person such as Craig to become available. His heart went to a man in his mid-20s who was on the critical list and whose case was designated ‘super urgent’. Elsewhere, one of Craig’s kidneys went to a man in his late 20s who had been on dialysis since 2011, while another kidney and his pancreas went to a man in his 40s who had already had a heart transplant.

Christine said: “That makes us think he must be a very special man to have two transplants on two occasions.”

She added: “We never thought we would be in this position but Craig died suddenly and wouldn’t have known anything about it. To know your child wasn’t in any pain is comforting, but also to know your child lives on in other people makes it a bit easier and I just hope those people have full and happy lives.”

Three ambulance teams and a rapid response paramedic worked on Craig for two-and-a-half hours before he was transferred by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital where his organs were taken the next day. It was the second time he was flown by air ambulance after a serious mountain biking accident when he was 14.

Six-foot tall Craig, who grew up in Crawley, loved travel and was a keen golfer and skier as well as member of Balcombe Cricket Club, is not thought to have registered as an organ donor. But he told his family he would donate a kidney to Aimee, who was born with only one, had she ever needed it. Christine said the decision to allow his organs to be removed had taken ‘minutes’ as they knew he would have wanted it. She urged others to have the conversation so that more organs became available.

The Sussex wicket keeper Ben Brown, also from Balcombe, arranged a black armband tribute to his close friend when Sussex played Surrey at the Oval. Some 30 village players, friends and family watched the match at the ground. A special cricket tea was also put on by Balcombe Cricket Club after Craig’s funeral, which was attended by nearly 400 people at St Mary’s Church. Donations in Craig’s name for Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance and Kings College Hospital’s Critical Care Unit are being collected via Masters and Son in Lindfield.