Car crash victim gives 20 people chance of new life

A 23-year-old woman who was killed in a car crash has given more than 20 people the chance of a new life.

Clare Ekins carried a donor card and after her death, her parents Graham and Evie agreed doctors could use tissue from her body to help others.

Ms Ekins, a graduate who was planning a career in the media, was killed on Thursday morning as she drove to work along a busy road in Chelmsford, near her home. She suffered head injuries and died instantly when her Peugeot was in collision with an oncoming car.

Her father said today: "It was difficult for us on that night, when we were at the hospital and they came to talk to us about tissue donation, but we knew how strong her feelings were. Clare thought society should help others and wanted to do her bit. She believed in supporting medical research and wore the breast cancer pink ribbon.

"We've been told her tissue will be particularly

compatible for young girls, which is wonderful. Her bone tissue can be stored for up to four years."

Donor cards indicate that the people who carry them are willing for their organs and body tissue to be used for transplant if they die. Major organs, such as the heart and lungs, must be used quickly. But tissue remains transplantable for longer, and can be taken from many parts of the body. Examples include skin grafts for burns victims and heart valve and cornea grafts.

The lining of Clare's thorax will be used to develop an experimental treatment. Burns victims and people with heart, joint and eye problems will also be helped.

Tissue donation services are handled by the National Blood Service. Jane Pearson of the NBS said: "This is a truly marvellous and generous gift Clare has given. The public are urged to tell their families they are donors as this will enable trained staff to carry out their final wishes."

Mr Ekins, a 54-year-old assistant headteacher, and his wife, who is 53 and a primary school teacher, live in Boreham, Essex. Their daughter, a devout Christian, attended her father's and mother's schools around Chelmsford before going to Essex University. "We have no other children, which makes it even more difficult," said Mr Ekins. "Clare had so many friends - we have been over-awed by the hundreds of cards and letters we have received. She was very kind, and would always do things for people." He said she had been working as a PA in Stansted but had been going to interviews for media jobs.

"She was very artistic, fanatical about fashion and loved exhibitions in London. We have her paintings at home. My wife and I had her for 23 years, and they were wonderful. We have so many memories and are grateful for those years."

Ms Ekins's funeral will be held tomorrow. Police are investigating last week's crash. A 65-year-old woman and her 41-year-old son, who were in the other car, suffered minor injuries.

For more information on organ or tissue donation contact the Organ Donor Line on 0845 6060400 or visit www.blood.co.uk.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in