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100-Minute-Old Baby Became A Hero As The UK's Youngest Organ Donor

by Emily Arata
Trinity MIrror

Teddy Noah Houlston lived just long enough to save another person's life. The baby, born with anencephaly, was the youngest organ donor in the UK.

The Mirror reports Teddy was born and died on April 22, 2014, but his parents just started to publicly to share his story.

He and his twin, Noah Teddy, were born to Mike Houlston and Jess Evans, but only Teddy had the fatal condition. Early on, the twins showed signs of being dramatically different.

Doctors warned the expecting parents of Teddy's condition, and 4D ultrasounds let them see Teddy's underdeveloped skull.

So when he was finally born, his parents were well prepared. Mike and Jess wanted him to live on through organ donation and, after weeks of trying to find a way, had a birth plan in place.

About 100 minutes after Teddy and Noah's arrival, Teddy passed away.

The brave parents turned his body over to hospital staff members who saved his heart valves and kidneys.

A year after Teddy's death, the family's made every effort to keep his memory alive.

A JustGiving page called Teddy's Never Ending Journey raised more than $10,500 (£7,000) for an organization providing support to grieving families.

The Mirror reports Evans' daughter from a previous relationship, 3-year-old Billie, has a teddy bear that plays a recording of her little brother's heartbeat.

In sharing their difficult story, Houlston and Evans hope to encourage more parents to work past the pain.

They see organ donation as a way to keep their lost child alive in someone else.

Citations: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/23/youngest-organ-donor-newborn-uk_n_7124256.html (Huffington Post)