Family of organ donor receive ‘incredibly emotional’ award after dad saves five lives

A father-of-two who died from a brain tumour has been honoured with an award after his organ donations saved five lives.

Christopher William Streat, 42, from Fulham, died in October 2021 and has been awarded the Order of St John Award for Organ Donation, run in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant.

The award was accepted on his behalf by his wife Maria, 40 and his two children – Rosalita, eight, and Santino, six.

Maria said: “Christopher and I had been together since we were 17. We met on holiday as teenagers and I moved to London to be with him.

“Christopher worked as a hedge fund manager, and we travelled and worked all over the world together. Christopher was super funny, adventurous and mischievous.

“Christopher passed away very unexpectedly in October 2021. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour weeks earlier.

“The night before Christopher had been football training and was sending work e-mails in the morning before he went to the hospital for his MRI scan.

“Following the scan Christopher was taken into surgery, he sadly suffered a cardiac arrest form which he didn’t recover, two weeks later.

“When I was approached about organ donation I didn’t hesitate in agreeing, I knew it was what he would have wanted.

“Organ donation also allowed us more time with Christopher, the children could come and say goodbye to him and the nurses helped us create a memory box including taking his handprints and a lock of Christopher’s hair.

“Receiving the award on behalf of Christopher was incredibly emotional but it helped me to explain to the children what a wonderful man their father was and how the gift of his organs helped five people.”

More than 4,000 people donated their organs after death in England between 2019 – 2021, leading to about 10,000 patients’ lives being saved or transformed over those three years.

The Order of St John, which can trace its roots back more than 900 years, is a major international charity. Its work is centered on delivering first aid and care.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “The pride families feel at these moving ceremonies truly is inspirational.

“Transplant patients tell us that organ donors and their families are heroes and the Order of St John award is a chance for us all to recognise them and their amazing contribution to society.

“We hope these awards will inspire other people in London to tell their families they want to save lives.

“Being clear with your family about what you want makes things easier at a difficult time. It eaves them certain about your organ donation decision.”

Pictured top: Christopher and Maria with their two children, Rosalita and Santino (Picture: NHS Blood and Transplant)