Family Donates Organs of Young American Woman Injured in Crete

The family of an American tourist who was critically injured during a hiking trip in Crete before Christmas reached the brave decision to donate her organs as the patient was pronounced brain dead after less than a week in Intensive Care.

The 33-year-old woman, who was six months pregnant at the time of the accident according to local media, remained intubated while she was being treated in hospital in Chania after her dramatic rescue on December 23. She had already lost her baby after her fall, and suffered multiple fractures, including major injuries to her skull and chest.

An announcement by Chania General Hospital said the patient was a registered organ donor in her country and that her family, who had traveled from the U.S. to be by her side, respected her wish and allowed the procedure to take place.

Tragic hiking accident for pregnant American woman

Cretan news portals reported on Sunday that organ transplant teams from two Athens hospitals had visited the hospital in Crete for the necessary arrangements as the family had reached the difficult decision to donate the young woman’s organs following her brain death.

The tragic 33-year-old, who has now offered the gift of life to other patients through her untimely death, slipped and fell 50 metres down a gorge from a hiking trail near Preveli Monastery in the region of Rethymno two days before Christmas.

Her partner called for help at around 2 p.m..

21 firefighters with ten firefighting vehicles and additional rescue crews attended the scene and operated for hours all through the night to recover the injured pregnant tourist from the inaccessible spot where she had ended up.

She was then taken to Rethymno medical center, and then Chania General Hospital, where she fought for her life under the care of medical staff in the Intensive Care Unit while having already lost the baby she was carrying.

Organs donated of brain dead American tourist

Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the injured American was pronounced brain dead on Sunday.

Once her family decided to respect her wish as a registered organ donor and allow the procedure, the hospital confirmed that the patient’s liver and kidneys were donated for transplants in Athens, and her eye corneas for transplants in Herakleion.

The organ donation procedure was coordinated by the Hellenic Transplant Organization.

“The Administration of Chania General Hospital expresses its deep and sincere condolences to the donor’s family and bows to their greatness of soul and humanitarianism,” the announcement reads.

“The concept of ​​organ and tissue donation is the highest form of voluntary service and altruism, as well as the basic prerequisite for the materialization of the medical miracle of Transplantation,” it concludes.