Reddish mum starts fundraiser in memory of son whose organ donations saved five lives
By Alasdair Perry 27th Jan 2026
A mum from Reddish has started a remarkable fundraiser for the critical care unit at Tameside Hospital, in memory of her life-saving son.
Dawn Letham has been raising money for a memorial garden at the hospital after her son Mark was admitted to the critical care unit there following a seizure and two cardiac arrests.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Mark had lost too much oxygen from both cardiac arrests, and the heartbreaking decision was made to turn off the ventilator.
However, Mark's legacy continues in a remarkable way - as a member of the organ donor register, Mark has been able to save the lives of five people who were waiting for organs to be donated.
He was kept on ventilation until recipients were found, and in doing so gained his 'superhero wings'.
Since then, Dawn has started this fundraiser in memory of Mark and in honour of the 'amazing' staff who cared for him.
The money raised will go towards a memorial garden, to be used by staff, patients and visitors alike.
As Dawn explained: "If there had been a space like a memorial garden we could have gone to, just to sit and make those phone calls, and reflect, it would have been so nice."
She also wanted to showcase the amazing efforts of the staff at Tameside Hospital.
"Even though Mark had been ventilated and sedated, we spoke to him every day, as did the amazing team on this unit", she said.
"They didn't just take bloods, they apologised to Mark for having to take more blood - speaking to him even though he was unconscious.
"As a mother, this meant the world."
What's more, when Dawn, Mark and Alan (Mark's stepdad since the age of 11) left the critical care unit, Mark received a guard of honour, with all the team lining the corridor.
"It broke our hearts", Dawn said.
"We were so proud of Mark, now we want his legacy for organ donation to continue, and to keep Mark's memory alive."
So far, the fundraiser has already raised a whopping £1,476 to go towards the memorial garden.
And while there's still more to go, Dawn said she's been overwhelmed with the response so far.
"We're dealing with our grief by talking about Mark and keeping his memory alive", she said.
"But it's something else to deal with the kindness people have been showing."
Mark's legacy lives on in the lives of the people he's saved directly - and in other ways, too.
In sharing Mark's story, Dawn has found that other people have been inspired to join the organ donor registry, potentially saving even more lives.
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