An agent has launched a fundraising campaign to support the hospital which cared for her son in his final days.

On 28 August, Prestbury Travel agent Dawn Letham's son Mark suffered two cardiac arrests brought on by a seizure.

Despite the best efforts of the paramedics, who twice managed to revive him, he was taken to Tameside Hospital Critical Care Unit (CCU) in Ashton-under-Lyne where he was placed on a ventilator due to the length of time he went without oxygen.

"Every day, myself and Alan – Mark's stepdad – would talk to him, play him music and read him messages from his friends," Dawn recalls, reflecting on her five-day bedside vigil. "It was daunting at first, but the team at the hospital were amazing."

Mark's life support was turned off on 2 September, a few weeks after his 34th birthday.

(Credit: Dawn Letham)

Amid their grief, Dawn and her family managed to find some comfort. Mark was on the organ donor register, a choice that saved five lives – including a woman in her fifties, who desperately needed a heart transplant. "It broke our hearts, but we were so proud of him," Dawn says.

Soon after Mark's passing, Dawn started raising funds to build a memorial garden in Mark's memory as a way of thanking the hospital for its support.

"I remembered calling my family [to break the news] from the front reception of the hospital," says Dawn. "I realised I would have wanted a place to do that privately, where I could sit down and reflect. That's where the idea for the memorial garden came from."

Plans for the garden, which will be open to patients and relatives at the CCU, have already been approved – with the cost estimated between £30,000 and £50,000.

'Off-the-scale talent'

Dawn finds it comforting talking about her son. "It's not difficult for me to mention his name," she explains. "It's the first experiences without him that hurt more, like the first Christmas song. That was hard."

For Dawn, living without Mark gives her cause to focus on his life and character. She describes him as gentle, kind and a lover of rock music – but his true passion was drawing.

(Credit: Dawn Letham)

"He wanted to work at Disney, so I took him to Disney Orlando when he was six," Dawn says. "He was off-the-scale talented, and had his drawings featured in a local newspaper and in our town hall."

Mark was also beloved by the local community. "He's left a big hole," Dawn adds. "More than 300 people came to his funeral. We couldn't get everybody in."

'An amazing and emotional day'

Dawn thanks her Prestbury Travel colleagues for their unwavering support over the past few months. "They've been so mindful, and told me: ‘If you have a wobble, just go home'," she explains.

But on 5 December, Dawn found out exactly how far her colleagues were prepared to go for her and her family. "I knew something was happening the – they told me to put my game face on," she tells TTG. "My team gave me a small heads up, because I can get quite emotional. But I really didn't have a clue what was going on."

The following day, Dawn arrived at the agency's Poynton office to a surprise, all-day fundraiser organised by the Prestbury Travel team. The agency staff and some tour operator partners had come into the office to support Dawn, alongside Prestbury Travel director James Bosworth.

"It was absolutely unbelievable," Dawn recalls. "It was a very emotional and amazing day."

(Credit: Dawn Letham)

The fundraiser was an incredible success, with Prestbury Travel organising a raffle, tombola and a silent auction in partnership with Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Adaaran Resorts Maldives and Atrium Hotels & Resorts in Rhodes. 

Bosworth matched the winning bids, with an impressive £5,505 raised in total. "We have the donations from the funeral and now, with the fundraiser up and running, I'm confident we can get this garden built," Dawn adds.

Head over to Dawn's JustGiving page to donate to Mark's memorial garden.