Tom Wilson, 22, of Hornchurch died in December 2015 after being accidentally hit in the head by a hockey stick while training at Old Loughtonians Hockey Club in Chigwell.
His mother Lisa Wilson praised her son, who has today (September 5) become the face of an organ donation bus campaign between her charity and NHS trust BHRUT.
Lisa lost Tom, who attended Coopers School in Upminster, in December 2015 and her late husband Graham died in Queen’s Hospital just two months later, events she said were “devastating”.
“I was reeling from losing my son, our son, and that happened,” she said. “The first thing we had to do was organise another funeral.”
Both father and son were West Ham season ticket holders, Lisa said, adding that Tom’s favourite player was former Hammers captain Mark Noble.
“He loved the way Mark Noble was a great captain, he was a leader too as a sports captain at school,” she said.
Lisa said that life was perfect before her son and husband died, but after their death she hoped to make the most of an awful situation.
She said a nurse told her Tom was on the organ donation register, which she was not aware of.
“I’m really proud of him,” she said. “After the procedure, we found Tom had saved and improved the lives of up to 50 people.”
Fatima Mirza, 6, was one of the recipients of Tom’s organs and had her life saved by his liver this year.
Gordon Paw received Tom’s heart and Lisa said she has no regrets over their decision.
“I’ve stood by Fatima and Gordon at the same time and you think wow, I’m standing by two people who have got their life because of Tom.
“It’s an amazing feeling and the best we could do,” she added.
Despite the accident, Lisa said she would never turn her back on hockey, and her daughter Pippa has continued to play.
“It was a freak accident,” she said. “Pippa went back to playing hockey which was very brave of her.”
This comes ahead of organ donation week, which runs from September 18 to 24.
Donations can be made at www.tomwilsonmemorialfund.co.uk
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