Coronation Street star Sean Ward has emotionally revealed that his goddaughter needs a heart transplant. The actor, 38, who played drug dealer Callum Logan on the ITV soap, took to social media on Friday night to share the news and begged his followers to at least have a conversation about organ donation.
Speaking in a video posted to Instagram, he said: "I never thought I'd have to make a video like this to be honest but my goddaughter is critically ill, her heart is failing. She needs a heart transplant."
Ward added: "Watching her parents go through this has completely changed the way I think about something I never really gave much thought to."
Ward's plea for organ donation awareness
Sean urged his followers to start having conversations with their loved ones about organ donation. He explained: "When I hear about organ donation, I generally think about adults, I don't actually think about babies or children or teenagers. You can imagine for a parent it's the worst thing that they could ever go through."
"The heart-breaking reality is that some children only survive if another family makes an incredibly selfless decision during the worst moment of their lives. So I kind of get it. But my goddaughter is needing a new heart. I'm not here to pressure anyone or ask for anything, I just wanna have a conversation."
"So, if you've never really spoken to your family about organ donation, maybe have that conversation because until this happens to someone you love, I don't think realise how important those conversations can become."
Fans highlight opt-out system
Sean, whose Corrie character fathered a child with Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) before being killed off during a live special in late 2015, concluded his video by asking for prayers. He said: "Right now, my family is hoping for a miracle so if you pray, please keep my goddaughter Scarlett in your prayers. If nothing else, give somebody you love a hug today because life can change pretty rapidly."
He captioned the post: "Not a sympathy post. I just think it's important we have these conversations now. Love x"
Sean, who also appeared in Our Girl alongside fellow former Corrie star Michelle Keegan and EastEnders icon Lacey Turner, was inundated with support. Luca Toolan (Mason Radcliffe on Corrie) liked the post, Emmerdale star Michael Parr (Ross Barton) said "Sending love brother x," and Bulletproof actor Jason Maza said "In my prayers mate."
Fans also pointed out that the UK now operates an opt-out system for organ donation. One wrote: "The law changed some time ago, we are all legally now in an opt out organ donation system. Unless you go online and opt yourself out then you are automatically an organ donor upon death. With that being said, family should still be consulted at the point of death so Sean is absolutely right about having this conversation with your family and next of kin."
