Girl, 9, saves four lives by donating organs after sudden death

A nine-year-old girl who was tipped to be a future tennis star has helped saved four lives since her tragic death in August. Sadie Bristow suffered a severe allergic reaction on a family outing to Whitstable Castle, in Whitstable, Kent. She experienced a sudden and unexplained anaphylactic shock that closed her airway despite her family managing what she ate.

Her parent’s Stewart and Clare Bristow made the decision to donate her organs after she died the next day in St George’s Hospital, London. Thanks to her a woman in a coma who’s now out of intensive care and she also helped three others with her transplanted kidneys, liver and heart. Mr Bristow, a tennis coach, said: ‘It was heart-breaking, but we didn’t hesitate. ‘Sadie was a very giving and caring little girl and to think that her organs have saved other lives is something that brings us some comfort.’

Her parents now want to honour by setting up the Sadie Bristow Foundation, which aims to increase participation in tennis in schools and the wider community. Sadie, who suffered with allergies since birth and was diagnosed as anaphylaxis when she was five, was the top-ranked tennis player in the UK in her age group. Mr Bristow added: ‘The Sadie Bristow Foundation is helping us deal with the grief and driving us forward with inspiration and as a legacy for our beloved daughter and will be officially launched next April at Bridge and Chartham schools. ‘We will be looking for continued support from government and charitable bodies to help us realise our aim and to hold fund-raising events across the local community, schools and tennis communities, to help support.’

The family will also work with Anaphylactic UK to train a nurse to become a specialist and advisor for allergies, and eventually hope to open a clinic in east Kent. Anyone wishing to help with fundraising or who has any ideas to further the couple’s aims can contact them at clare@sadiebristowfoundation.org.uk and donations can be made via http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sadiebristow.