The family of a boy whose organs saved the lives of two children are encouraging others to talk about donation.

Following an accident at their Croydon home in 2016, Jay and Sina Patel’s son, Aari, who was three at the time, passed away after spending four days in the care of St George’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

They made the instant decision to donate as many of their son’s organs as possible.

“If Aari couldn’t be helped any further, Sina and I felt strongly that we wanted Aari to help others," Jay said.

"We did not want another family to suffer losing their child or loved one.

“Aari donated seven organs and saved the lives of two other children.

"We received a letter from the family of his heart recipient and they are doing well. We remain proud of our decision and encourage everyone to have a discussion with those they love about organ donation, it truly helps save lives.”

Jo Cox, specialist nurse for organ donation at St George’s, supported the Patel family through their journey.

She said the families like the Patels are incredibly generous to think of others at a time of tragic loss.

“Organ donation is an incredibly generous act by the donor and their families," she said.

"At St George’s, we embrace donation as a routine part of end life care when appropriate; ensuring all families have the opportunity to donate and supporting them consistently throughout the process.”

“While the change in law will help to raise awareness of organ donation, we must continue encouraging people to have open and honest discussions about their end of life wishes.

"We are a nation of people who don’t like talking about death – but it is essential that we have these conversations and empower our loved ones to make decisions on our behalf.”

From spring 2020, the law around organ and tissue donation in England is changing.

All adults in England will be considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they record a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.