Father given kidney of dead son

A DIABETIC man has been given a kidney from his son who died in a motorcycle accident while on holiday abroad. Richard Stephen, 28, a building-site manager, suffered fatal injuries after his 125cc motorcycle was blown by a gust of wind into the path of a car in Crete.

A decision to fly the kidney home was made after police on the Greek island contacted the family at their home in west Wales. Richard's mother Dawn flew to Greece soon after the news was broken. John Stephen, a farmer, of Llechryd, near Cardigan, Dyfed, was taken to a Cardiff hospital where the operation was performed. He had suffered kidney problems for some years and was being given regular dialysis.

Dennis Underwood, whose son Derek, 27, had joined Richard for the two-week holiday, said: 'The death was a terrible tragedy for the family.' The friends had split up during the holiday to pursue separate activities, so Derek Underwood was unaware of Richard Stephen's death until he went to the airport for his flight home.