Our dear friend Paul Savage, passed away Christmas day 2017 in hospital, Paul was a huge inspiration to many. 

Paul was born with a deadly heart condition and was not expected to see 6 months old, but he received pioneering surgery, the operations continued throughout the years barely keeping him alive and he continued to defy the odds and Paul from the day he was born had to fight to live, spending much of his childhood in and out of hospital. He was on the verge of death 22 years ago and was in dire need of an organ donor match, they managed to find a match in Newcastle and Paul who lived in Runcorn, Cheshire was transported to Newcastle to undergo the major heart operation that in all reality was a 50/50 but Paul kept defying the odds. 

Paul recovered and managed to live life to it's fullest even participating in The Transplant games and winning medals, he worked a full-time job and was a passionate guitar player and music lover, he was admired equally for his skills on the guitar as he was for his unwavering kindness and compassion, he was always there for those in need for every man, woman and animal.

The Freeman Heart & Lung Transplant Association kept Paul in the best shape they could throughout the years and Paul had many life-extending operations throughout that time, they managed to give Paul 22 more years of life and he made many friends at The Freeman Hospital, they even sent a huge bouquet of flowers on hearing of his passing. Paul even raised money himself for the charity during his life as he was eternally grateful for that second chance at life, he abseiled from the Tyne Bridge, The Runcorn Bridge and found many more bold and brave ways of raising cash throughout his lifetime. 

He was adored by his beautiful family and was an inspiration to many people and made many friends, he was kind, funny, understanding and most of all brave, as he never complained, and even in the hard times he still had time for a friend. 

He embodied the saying 'Life is a Journey, Go and Live it' and he did. He was my best friend and I loved him like a brother and on his death, I made a promise that I would continue the good work he did for this wonderful charity.

I am thankful I had the privilege of having such a wonderful friend and me amongst many others will miss this great man dearly but with the help of you, we can continue to raise as much cash for a wonderful charity in his honour and keep his memory burning as bright as the stars.

I will also be holding a charity event in his honour and all proceeds will be going to FHLTA.

RIP Paul Savage, you were an inspiration