The heart of a Derry man who died after being stabbed and beaten at the weekend has been transplanted into his uncle.
Mr Mark Robinson (22) was stabbed 11 times and badly beaten early on Saturday morning last. Medical staff at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital battled for three days to save him, but he died yesterday.
Relatives today said Mr Robinson’s heart had been used in a life-saving transplant operation on his uncle, Mr Lawrence McMonagle, at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Clinical transplant coordinator for Freeman Hospital Ms Lynne Holt said Mr McMonagle was in a critical condition. She spoke of a chain of "total coincidence" that led to the dead man's heart being offered to save his uncle.
Mr Jim Robinson, father of the murdered man, said the family were distraught by his son's death and revealed he had only signed a donor card two weeks ago.
"When Mark saw his uncle so ill, he decided there and then to fill in a donor card.
"He never thought something like this would happen, that it could have happened so soon."
PA