A YORK assistant Cub Scout leader died of a heart attack, aged just 28 – but then gave fresh life to two men by donating his liver and a kidney.

Dan Fleetwood’s family said he always wanted his organs to be transplanted if he ever died, but his wishes could only be met because he was kept alive after the attack through being given CPR.

They said Mike Turner, a vending machine man visiting the University of York, raised the alarm that Dan was unwell, giving a security guard the chance to perform CPR.

“If it wasn’t for this, Dan would have died alone,” said his mother Janie. “He would have been taken straight to the mortuary and his organs would not have been healthy enough to be transplanted.”

She said Dan was kept alive at York Hospital for three days, giving doctors time to harvest his organs and also his family and friends time to say goodbye.

Now Janie, and Dan’s twin sister Victoria and girlfriend Laura Richardson, are urging people to go on the organ donor register and also undertake training in CPR.

Janie, who is Akela to the Cubs at 1st Strensall Scout Group, said Dan was a ‘much loved and respected’ assistant Cub Scout leader, whose Scouting name was Baloo.

He was an apparently fit and active man, and had only recently moved in with Laura at their home in Acomb and was on his way to work as an IT specialist for Spire Healthcare at York Science Park on March 29 when he started to feel ill.

He called in to the university’s library, and rang 111 for health advice and was on the phone when he suffered a seizure followed by a cardiac arrest.

Janie said Mike Turner happened to be working on the library’s vending machine at the time.

“Mike instantly raised the alarm and a security guard was talked through CPR from Dan’s phone by the 111 service, until paramedics arrived on the scene,” she said. “They worked on him until they got him to York Hospital, where medics took over.

“His heart was stopped for 50 minutes and they said that if he survived, he would have very severe brain damage.

“But he was kept alive for 72 hours, and all his family and friends were able to visit him. If Mike hadn’t raised the alarm, the CPR would not have been performed.

“The time meant they were able to transplant a kidney to a 60-year-old man who has already returned home, and a liver to a 30-year-old man. His eyes are currently in store awaiting recipients.

“Everyone at York Hospital was superb, from A&E to ICU - they treated us like royalty. They really pulled out all the stops. Cooperative Funeralcare were also absolutely amazing.” She added that it was not really known why Dan had suffered the heart attack.

Victoria said many family members and friends had since signed up for the organ donor register and she would encourage everyone to consider doing the same, and let relatives know their wishes.

Laura said they also wanted to encourage everyone to undergo training in CPR, so they would be able to help if they ever came across anyone suffering a heart attack.

Janie said almost £6,000 had been raised through a collection at his packed funeral at York Crematorium and a Just Giving page, which would go to two causes that meant a huge amount to him.

She said 80 per cent would go towards funding a defibrillator cabinet and activity provision at Snowball Plantation Scout Activity Centre at Stockton on the Forest, where Dan spent many happy times, with the remainder going towards activity provision at 1st Strensall Scout Group.