Kind-Hearted Keith's Legacy of Life
A giant-hearted Hampshire man who suffered a fatal asthma attack left a legacy of life - his cardiac arteries were used to save the lives of two new-born babies.
Popular Romsey roofer, Keith Holloway tragically died when his brain was starved of oxygen. His widow, Diane has drawn comfort from knowing that her caring and compassionate husband passed on the gift of life to others. As a tribute to Keith, and to acknowledge the work of Southampton General Hospital where he was cared for, Diane embarked on a fundraising campaign. To date she has raised more than £3400 for the Intensive Care Unit and for Wessex Heartbeat.
Diane, a community nurse, spearheaded a series of charity events to coincide with what would have been her husband's 65th birthday on April 14. The most recent fundraiser was a "Musical Extravaganza" at The Tavern, in The Hundred at Romsey, which attracted more than 300 people, and featured the band Peter Pod And The Peas. There has also been a garden sale, and pubs, shops and businesses around Romsey have been involved in collecting cash in sweet jars in Keith's memory.
"Keith was such a big-hearted, loving, caring man who would do anything for anyone, and I feel very privileged to have been his wife," said Diane. "I have been overwhelmed by the support I have had from friends, family and people in Romsey. It has been incredibly comforting for me."
Diane has experienced overwhelming heartbreak in the past - her two sons Nicholas and Dean died within ten months of each other in 2004. "It became Keith's cause to try to get me to a point where I wanted to be here, because for a long time I didn't", she confessed. "Last year we had just begun to laugh again without feeling guilty and we went to Egypt on holiday at the end of May."
"Keith's death was a massive shock to everybody and I did go right downhill. I was then encouraged to try fundraising as a form of therapy," she said.
"I never thought I could do anything like this and I don't know where the strength came from to do it, but I just hope that Keith would be proud of me."
Diane said that Keith carried a donor card and she felt he would be very gratified to know that he had been able to give the gift of life to two babies. Diane added that she had also been inspired by her grandchildren - James (12), Rhys (9), Mia (11) and Arrie (8), who had helped with the fundraising.
She now hopes to stage an annual event in Keith's memory around the time of his birthday. As a musical tribute to her late husband, Diane has written the lyrics to "Keithy's Song" and has plans to record a CD with her best friend's daughter Natalie Butler.
