Mum shares story of man who saved her daughter's life

Teighan Rae Whitfield, from Haydock, was born in September 2017 and was just six weeks old when she was diagnosed with biliary atresia.

The childhood condition means that one or more bile ducts are abnormally narrow, blocked, or absent.

She has received specialist treatment and undergone major operations for the condition, but in a regular appointment in March 2023, consultants found three nodules on her liver – which specialists informed her parents can often become cancerous.

Teighan (Image: Danielle WHitfield)

She was therefore put on the organ transplant waitING list from August 2023 and in February 2024 received a life-changing liver transplant.

She is now recovering well and has a better quality of life.

Her mum Danielle, 40, said: “I learned that the young man who donated his organs was in his 20s and my heart just broke for his family.

"My step son is a similar age and I wrote them a letter saying how proud I am that part of their son lives on in Teighan and how proud they must be of him, I passed it on to the transplant team.

“I was amazed a few weeks ago when the man’s mum got in touch to say how much it meant to her to get that letter and told me all about her son Lee Armstrong.

“With her permission, I shared details of his story and Lee was 24 from Carlisle and died suddenly of Addison’s Disease.

"He only made the decision to opt to become a donor in September, not knowing what would happen.

“He told his family his wishes and even in their grieving they remembered that, and he’s saved four lives, three adults and Teighan.

Teighan now (Image: Danielle Whitfield)

“He was a dad himself and I cannot imagine what that family is going through, but his son should be incredibly proud of his dad.

“He saved four people. He is and will always and forever be a part of our family. We will celebrate his birthday each year and Teighan says he is her hero and he is mine too.

“I can’t tell you what it’s like for his family, my heart breaks for them, but I know he saved my daughter and they must be so proud of how selfless he was.

Lee Armstrong made the decision to become an Organ Donor and shared his wishes with his family. Because of that he saved four lives (Image: The family of Lee Armstrong)

“Now my mission – and his family’s – is to not only raise awareness of Addison’s disease, which Lee died from but also talk as much as we can about organ donation because it really does make a difference.

“By telling his family they knew his wishes, doctors acted fast and four people are alive today and recovering from different illnesses because of him.

“Please if you want to donate your organs after you aren’t here anymore, be like Lee and share your wishes with family. It really does save lives.”

To learn more about organ donation, go to organdonation.nhs.uk.

What is Addison's Disease?

According to the NHS website, Addison's disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency or hypoadrenalism, is a rare disorder of the adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands are 2 small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They produce 2 essential hormones: cortisol and aldosterone.

The adrenal gland is damaged in Addison's disease, so it does not produce enough cortisol or aldosterone.

About 9,000 people in the UK have Addison's disease, with over 300 new cases diagnosed each year.

To learn more about Addison’s Disease, go to jadacharity.org or nhs.uk/conditions/addisons-disease.