A woman who grew up in Darwen has been posthumously honoured at an award ceremony after she donated her organs after her sudden death.

Jo Binks, a former St Wilfrid's Secondary School pupil, died aged 33 in January 2023 after strep A infection triggered a heart attack.

The former St Peter's Primary School pupil joined the NHS Organ Donor Register six times and had been very clear she would want to donate her organs.

When she died she saved three lives, donating her kidneys and liver to those waiting for a life-changing organ transplant, and was awarded the Order of St John posthumously.

Jo BinksJo Binks (Image: NHS)

Her husband Sam, 31, said: “Jo was always doing something, she was a bubbly, pink, whirlwind.

"She was very outdoorsy and was big into kayaking and water sports, mountain biking, hiking, all sorts.

"With her outdoor gear, it had to be as much pink as she could get hold of, as pink as possible.

“We both grew up in the same area, our parents knew each other. We both went to Bangor University and hung out more once we were both living in Bangor a few years later.

"We started dating in our mid-20s while Jo was finishing her PhD.

“In 2017 we travelled around New Zealand and Australia, our first time living together, albeit in the back of a van!

"We moved back to North Wales afterwards and in August 2018 I proposed on the beach at Morfa Nefyn at sunset.

“The pandemic foiled our original wedding plans, we moved to Llanerchymedd in May 2021 and finally managed to get married in August at Bolton Sailing Club, with Jo arriving by her dad delivering her to shore in a canoe.

“We enjoyed lots of outdoor activities together and travelling when we could too. We’d been on holiday to Iceland over Christmas 2022.

"Jo got sick while we were there but it wasn’t really anything, a bit of a cold. When we got back it developed into flu then Jo deteriorated, getting Strep A, which caused a heart attack and her body just couldn’t carry on.”

Sam said he knew organ donation was what Jo wanted.

He said: “I was approached by a nurse about organ donation and we talked it over.

"It wasn’t a difficult decision, I always knew it was what Jo wanted. She was on the register and had talked about it.

"I didn’t know she’d joined six times, it is clearly what she wanted, it’s a lot of times to sign up.

“She gave blood and just thought ‘why wouldn’t you help, why waste organs?’.

"She had worked in medical research for a long time, and really cared about helping people.”

Sam said it is “amazing” that Jo has helped three people.

She said: “The Order of St John award ceremony was nice, I felt a bit weird collecting the award on Jo’s behalf but I think she’d be very happy about it

“The fact she has helped three people is amazing. I think it’s a wonderful thing that she has done. It’s something she’d be very proud of.

“It does bring comfort, knowing she was able to help save three other people.”

Organ donation saves lives, and people are being urged to register their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register. 

Only around one per cent of people in the UK die in the circumstances to become an organ donor each year which is why as many people as possible need to join the register and make their decision clear to save more lives.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Organ donors and their families are truly inspirational.

"Every single donor transforms the lives of people they don’t know and the pride their families rightly feel is incredibly powerful.

“Patients who have received a transplant tell us that organ donors and their families are their heroes.

"The Order of St John awards are a chance for us to recognise organ donors and honour their amazing life-saving contributions to society.

“We hope these awards will inspire everyone in Wales to confirm their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register. It means your family will be certain that you want to be an organ donor.

“Saving the lives of others is an amazing legacy to leave and donor families say their pride helps them in their grief.

“We want to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to donate their organs and save lives. Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register at organdonation.nhs.uk.”