Teddy's story: 20 hours after he lost his fight the brave baby saved another life

Sipping a latte in Starbucks on the ground floor of the hospital, Angharad Griffiths took a call on her Blackberry from a midwife two floors above her.

It was 10.30am and Jess Evans was about to give birth to twin boys.

“Labour is progressing quicker than expected,” the midwife told Angharad, a specialist nurse in organ donation for NHS Blood and Transplant.

One of the twins, Teddy, had a fatal condition and would not survive long after birth.

His parents knew that and, selflessly, wished to donate his organs.

Angharad phoned the organ retrieval team, who were having breakfast on the third floor of the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

They had driven from BirminghamTeddy arrived, tragically died, then became Britain’s youngest ever organ donor. He was just 100 minutes old.

It has been described as a “milestone moment”, but the journey to that moment was not straightforward.

“It was nothing short of a miracle,” said Angharad.

When Jess and Mike first suggested the idea to medics, they did not get the response they were hoping for.

Dr Paul Murphy, national clinical lead for organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, explained: “They were told that it was not possible.

“Teddy was too young; that his organs were too small; that we simply did not consider organ donation from babies dying from anencephaly.

“However, Mike and Jess were determined that it would happen and, through their efforts, a way was found.”

Twelve days before the birth, the couple were referred to Angharad by the hospital’s palliative care team. at 5am that morning. She told them to prepare for surgery.