Dan Robinson: Mother whose son died after being hit by van in Hillsborough, Sheffield in organ donation plea

The mother of a teenage boy who died suddenly when he was hit by a van in Sheffield is urging parents of youngsters and teenagers to have a conversation about organ donation.

The plea has been issued by Debbie Enver, as she prepares to release a book detailing the first year of her life without her beloved son Dan Robinson, who died after being struck by a van near to McDonald's on Penistone Road, Hillsborough in 2018.

Dan died in Sheffield Children’s Hospital. He had brain damage that he could not recover from.

But at a terrible time for the family, Dan’s mum, Debbie Enever made a big decision – that had massive ramifications for others.

Debbie has described how, prior to Dan's tragic death at the age of just 15, she had held a conversation with her son about donating organs should the unthinkable occur, and therefore knew exactly what Dan’s wishes were at his moment of death.

She made the decision to donate his organs, a move she now says was a silver thread to grab hold of at a time when everything was falling down around her.

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The driver of the van was charged with causing death by dangerous driving as he was travelling at 48 miles per hour (mph) in a 30mph zone. He pleaded 'not guilty' to that but instead admitted to the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving and was sentenced in February 2019 to eight months in prison and a three-and-a-half-year driving ban.

In her book, Midowed: a mother’s grief, Debbie recounts the minutes, hours and days following the tragedy, including saying goodbye and a courageous decision to donate Dan’s organs at the end of his life.

Midowed – a word coined by Debbie to describe a mother who’s lost her child – spans the course of one year, following Debbie as she tries to figure out how to adjust without the most important person in her life , her teenage son.

Thanks to the donation of Dan’s organs, three people are alive today who would otherwise not be.

Debbie says this is his legacy, and in her brave new book, the hero at the centre of this heroism – Dan himself – shines out from each page.

Midowed: a mother’s grief is released on April 4, 2024.