Rest In Peace Ashley!

[Whiplash]

From the Adelaide Now website today:

THE family of the late V8 driver Ashley Cooper has saved the lives of seven seriously ill people by donating his organs.

The 27-year-old, who died on Monday afternoon after a weekend crash at the Clipsal 500, was a registered organ donor. A six-year-old received part of his liver. Others received his heart, lungs, kidneys and pancreas.

Part of Cooper's liver was sent interstate.

It is understood one operation was conducted yesterday at the Flinders Medical Centre, although hospitals do not confirm details for privacy reasons.

The lifesaving decision has been applauded by the David Hookes Foundation, race organisers and Health Minister John Hill.

Cooper's father, Alan, yesterday said his family had all supported the organ donation.

"We all believed that it would have been Ashley's wish for his organs to be donated," he said, " . . . so there was no decision to be made.

"We are going to miss one heck of a guy, one thorough gentleman, one man of the highest morals I'll ever know and it's just shattering for us all."

It is not known where the recipients of Cooper's organs live.

In Adelaide, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital performs kidney transplants while Flinders Medical Centre performs liver transplants.

Heart and lung transplant operations are not conducted in South Australia.

SA Motor Sport Board chief executive Andrew Daniels said the decision to donate Cooper's organs would have been an "incredibly personal" one for his family. "I think they hope that good will come out of it," he said.

"I think it is a wonderful, compassionate, loving thing for them to agree that Ashley's organs can be then used to save others.

"I am a registered organ donor and I would certainly encourage, urge others to do the same."

Cooper, who sustained extensive internal injuries and severe brain swelling, never regained consciousness after his Holden Commodore VZ smashed into a concrete barrier at the Clipsal 500 on Saturday morning.

At Cooper's bedside when he died were his father, mother Maree, partner Casey, brother Aaron and two sisters, Rebecca and Rachel.

An emotional Mr Cooper last night told Channel 10 he could not be more proud of his son.

He said the family cried when they learnt Ashley's organs would save others.

"I found out Ashley was in peak physical condition, the only injuries that he sustained were head injuries in the accident, that was to his brain, the rest of his body, because he was a sportsman and looked after himself, he was in peak condition and he was able to donate to seven people," he said.

"Finding out that one of those was a young child with only days to live (who) received part of his liver, saving that young child's life and allowing that young child to live a normal life for whatever time was just something very, very special to us."

Health Minister John Hill thanked the Cooper family for deciding to donate. "His decision to become an organ donor and his family's support for his wishes is just inspirational," he said.

Last year 27 South Australians donated organs to 75 people

unfortunately all the support categories have new drivers and semi professional drivers (look at eth GT series only 1 profesional driver and the cars go around turn 8 with out lifting).

[Ant97GTR]

Very sad to hear the news that Ashley has passed away...condolences to the family and those that knew him.