Parents celebrate daughter's life-saving legacy 30 years after her death

A Doncaster couple are preparing to attend a major sporting event to honour their daughter’s gift of life, 30 years after she died in a car crash.

Helen Griffiths was just 18 years old when she died while working as an au pair in Michigan, USA, after being involved in a car crash in October 1996.

Although the severity of her injuries meant her major organs could not be donated, Helen's eyes, skin, bone tissue, heart valves and veins were used to help others after her parents honoured a decision she had already made herself.

Her donations helped to restore a person’s sight, while her skin and bone tissue went on to help babies and patients recovering from serious burns. Her heart valves and veins also helped people requiring life-saving and life-enhancing surgery.

Three decades on, her parents Alan and Jan Griffiths are attending for the first time the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, which takes place in Sheffield between 6 and 9 August.

The Games will welcome more than 2,800 participants including more than 1,000 transplant recipients competing across 26 sports.

The event is a celebration of the life-changing impact of donation and encourages more people to have the conversation with their loved ones about their wishes, helping to ensure more lives can be saved in the future.

"Helen was passionate about everything she did," said Alan. "When we went into her bedroom after she died, there were donor cards everywhere. She had one in her purse and she'd even taken one with her to America.

"We knew exactly what she wanted, so although it was the worst time imaginable for us, there was never any doubt that we would honour her wishes."

Helen had travelled to the United States after finishing school to spend a year caring for children as an au pair. Her warmth and enthusiasm quickly made a lasting impression on both the family she lived with and the wider community.

So profound was that impact that local residents raised more than $150,000 to build a children's playground in her memory after she died.

The playground, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, still stands today, with local families continuing to enjoy it three decades later.

"She had this wonderful way of bringing people together," said Jan. "She encouraged all the au pairs in the area to meet up and organised activities together. She kept saying there should be a playground in the local park because there wasn't anywhere for children to play.

"After she died, the community made that happen in her memory. Even now, people still tell us they take their grandchildren there."

The Griffiths family have visited the memorial playground twice and remain in contact with friends Helen made during her time in America.

Now, 30 years on, Alan and Jan hope Helen's story will encourage more families to have conversations about organ donation ahead of this year's Games.

The Games are the flagship event of Transplant Active; celebrating the life-changing impact of organ donation while showcasing the healthy, active lives transplant recipients can enjoy after surgery.

The couple will attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games for the first time.

Jan, a former nurse, believes knowing Helen's wishes made one of the hardest decisions a parent could ever face much easier.

"It really is so important to have that conversation," she said. "Helen had made her decision very clear, so we never had to wonder what she would have wanted.

"Why waste something that could help somebody else? If people tell their loved ones what they want, it makes such a difference if the worst should ever happen."

Alan added: "Thirty years later, we're still incredibly proud of Helen. She was only 18, but she'd already decided she wanted to help other people if anything happened to her.

"Coming to the Westfield Health British Transplant Games feels like a wonderful way to celebrate that gift, while also recognising all the donors and families whose generosity continues to change lives."