‘We never thought Aari would die’: parents urge families to register their children for organ donation

Aari Patel, who died at the age of three, had his organs donated by his parents, saving the lives of two other children. Photograph: Family Handout

Every morning, Katie and Graham Tatham wake up with hope. Perhaps today will be the day they get the call from the transplant team. Their three-year-old son, Ralph, has liver cancer and his doctors say he will survive if he has a multi-organ transplant: a new liver, pancreas and intestines.

Sina and Jay Patel also have hope, of a different kind. Their son, Aari, died at three after an accident, and his organs were donated to two children in Ralph’s situation. The fates of the girl and boy who Aari helped are never far from their thoughts.