Abigail Guojah

A FORMER City and Islington student who saved three lives through organ donation has been recognised at a ceremony in Clerkenwell.

Abigail Guojah, who was known as Abi, died after a sudden illness in August last year, aged 32. She was given The Order of St John Award for Organ Donation earlier this year, but her contribution was also recognised at the 10th anniversary of the awards, held at the Museum of the Order of St John earlier this month.

The awards were held at the St John’s Lane museum, where a national memorial to all organ and tissue donors was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Gloucester.

“It was comforting to receive Abi’s award – it meant so much that people are still talking about Abi and remembering her,” said her mother Valerie Guojah, 66.

“She’s done something special, and she would have been so proud to be recognised. It was mixed emotions on the day but we wanted to go for Abi. It helped to meet others – it was sad to see so many like us but also comforting to know we are not alone.”

Abi, who trained as an optician at the college in Angel and lived and worked in Crouch Hill, donated her heart, kidneys and pancreas, but also saved a friend’s life while living in South Africa and working as a yoga instructor. Having seen a friend struggle in the water, she pulled her to safety. It later emerged she had suffered a heart attack and would have died without Abi’s help.

Ms Guojah, who described her daughter as a “lively and gregarious” woman who loved to cook and play tennis, called on people to “please sign [the register]!” She added: “Put yourself in the recipients’ shoes or those of their relatives – how much would you want a donor match to be found? It’s such a simple thing to do, has no repercussions in your lifetime and brings comfort to your family, knowing that even though you are physically not here, that you continue to help others.”

The memorial that was unveiled for donors

She described how it had been a massive relief for her, her husband Robin and her other daughter, Emma, to know that Abi had registered as an organ donor – as they sat in hospital grappling with a decision no family wants to make.

“Abigail had been in intensive care for a couple of days and we were walking through the hospital knowing the worst would soon come,” she said. “We hadn’t thought about organ donation but we passed a pop-up banner which set us thinking and then the lift on the way to the ward was plastered with more posters about organ donation and we felt it was meant to be.”

When they enquired and the nurses revealed Abi had already signed up to the register, they knew they “were making the right decision”.

“It might have been a hard call if she hadn’t been. We probably would still have done it but knowing it was what Abi wanted gave us peace of mind,” she added.

Hundreds of families are receiving the award across the UK this year, at regional ceremonies or privately. More than 1,400 people donated their organs after their death in 2022, leading to more than 3,500 lifesaving transplants. Only around 1 per cent of people who die in the UK go on to donate organs each year.

Anthony Clarkson, of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Patients who have received a transplant tell us that organ donors and their families are their heroes. The Order of St John awards are a chance for us all to recognise organ donors and their amazing contribution to society. Saving the lives of others is an amazing legacy to leave and donor families say donation is a source of pride that helps them in their grief.”

Mrs Guojah echoed his sentiments. “There is very little that can help the pain of losing your child but knowing that Abi saved four lives makes us proud,” she said.

“Abi was a girl who made friends easily and kept them. She was clever and funny. She could be quite outspoken and was a bit of a daredevil.

“She always wanted to help people, and would often try to do things for others. She was very caring and organ donation very much fitted with her personality.”