'Organ donor gave me extra time with my daughter'

Chloe Pescod lived for three more years with Alex Newlove's heart

A woman who had “three more precious years” with her daughter before she died has thanked the mother of the man who donated his heart to her.

Tracey Pescod’s 19-year-old daughter Chole received the transplant in 2019 after she was diagnosed with heart failure, and lived until 2023.

The donation of 27-year-old Alex Newlove’s heart was agreed to by his mum, Judy Coutinho.

The two bereaved mothers have since met and are now encouraging others to talk more openly about organ donation.

Tracey Pescod said her daughter Chloe was a "fighter"

They are also encouraging other families to let their loved ones know if they have signed up, as Ms Coutinho said she and her son “never had that conversation”.

She said she wished they had so "when you are in that awful situation sat in the hospital, there’s no doubt of what they would want".

Alex Newlove died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage

Chloe Pescod, who was from Sunderland, was born with a rare disorder called Sengers syndrome, which caused a number of health issues that led to her diagnosis of heart failure

Her family was told that she needed a new heart on Christmas Eve in 2019.

Two weeks later, 27-year-old Alex Newlove, who was originally from Tarleton, Lancashire, died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage in Manchester.

He was signed up to the organ donor register, but his mother was approached at Manchester Royal Infirmary before that fact was established.

She gave surgeons that go-ahead and his organs saved six people’s lives, including that of Chloe Pescod, who received his heart.

All adults in England are seen as willing to donate their organs when they die, unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.

'Putting a face to the donor'

Even though she had not discussed it previously with her son, Ms Coutinho said: “I just remember the words coming out of my mouth, ‘he’d want to be an organ donor’.

“I instinctively knew that would be what Alex would want.”

Tracey Pescod and Judy Coutinho have urged families to talk about organ donation

Ms Coutinho got in touch with Tracey Pescod the week before Chloe died after seeing a news article about her.

Ms Coutinho said she knew straight away Chloe was the recipient of her son’s heart, adding she had received a “beautiful” thank you card from her on Alex’s birthday in 2021, and “put two and two together”.

“Putting a name to an organ, putting a face to the donor, it was more personal then," Ms Pescod said.

She said she was "so thankful" to Ms Coutinho for her son's gift.

“I have to think that if it wasn’t for Judy allowing Alex to donate these organs, I would never have gotten an extra three-and-a-half years with my girl,” she said.

“I managed to take her on holiday, we went shopping.

“I was given a 5% chance of seeing [her] again back in 2019, and I had until 2023 with her, I’m so thankful for that."