A COUPLE mourning the loss of a third child have told how they are comforted by knowing their son’s death will help others through organ donation.

Paul Carruthers, 32, from Ryhope, Sunderland, wished to donate his organs after he lost his brief battle with meningitis last Monday.

Parents Ian, 52, and Sue, 56, had already lost their son Mark aged 21, 12 years ago and daughter Amanda, 24, a year later, to sleep apnoea.

Their sole surviving son is Stephen, 30, was a star of hit Channel 4 show 'The Undateables'.

His brother Paul complained of headaches while watching England take on San Marino on Friday, March 22.

The Sunderland AFC fanatic was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, where doctors immediately ran tests for meningitis.

Paul, who suffered from a number of disabilities, including a curved spine, epilepsy and Crouzon syndrome, quickly contracted septicaemia, and later that evening, suffered a massive heart attack.

By Monday morning, tests showed he was brain dead.

Mr Carruthers said: “Sometimes we don’t know how we are coping.

“There’s an emptiness that you always feel.

“But he would always put your problems into perspective. If we were ever missing Mark or Amanda he would say ‘do you think they would want you to be like that?’

“Now, because of that donor card, he’s helping a lot of people and that’s really helping us. We are so proud of him.”