A family is honouring their son for “dying a hero” after donating his organs.
Scott Carrigan “who had a heart of gold” lost his life last August, aged just 23, leaving his parents completely devastated.
Now they are taking comfort in the fact that he had registered as an organ donor as a teenager, meaning he could transform other lives.
He has now been honoured as Alexandra Carrigan received the Order of St John Award for Organ and Tissue Donation on behalf of her son Scott.
The annual Order of St John Award for Organ and Tissue Donation ceremony, now in its tenth year, saw over 180 people gather in Glasgow City Chambers to receive the Award - inscribed with the words ‘add life, give hope’ - on behalf of their loved ones.
The initiative is a joint venture between the Order of St John and NHS Blood and Transplant, with the ceremony taking place during Organ Donation Week (18-24 September).
Alexandra Carrigan said: “Scott was just 18 when he told me he’d signed up to be an organ donor.
“He said that if he was going to die, he wanted to die a hero.
“I then found out he’d registered twice. We honoured his choice and gave him his last wish.
“He had a true heart of gold and put everyone else before him.
“Although our grief as a family is immeasurable, there is good that has come from it and that gives us comfort.
"We’re just so incredibly proud.”
The Duchess of Argyll, who is Prior of the Order of St John in Scotland, said: “We understand how important organ donation is in giving people who are waiting for a transplant the chance of life.
"It is a great privilege for us to work alongside NHS Blood and Transplant for the tenth year running, to help honour these families in this way.
"The award itself is inscribed with the words ‘add life, give hope’, and that is exactly what these donors and their families have done.
"They have given hope to someone who so desperately needed it.’’
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at 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, which we are proud to have been running with the Order of St John for ten years, are a chance for us all to recognise organ donors and their amazing contribution to society.
“We hope these awards will inspire other people in Scotland to register their donation decision and share it with loved ones.
"Saving the lives of others is an amazing legacy to leave and donor families say donation is a source of pride that helps them in their grief.”
People can register their donation decision and find out more at www.organdonation.scot or by calling 0300 123 2323.
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