UAE: After 17-year-old son's death, expat mum goes on mission to save lives

In one moment, your entire life could change in front of you, and for French expat Nathalie Grall-Sorensen, that moment was when she saw her 17-year-old son collapse in her husband's arms at home. He slipped into a coma and never woke up.

"[In that moment] as a mother, I knew that it was all over," Nathalie told Khaleej Times.

That was two years ago, and while the pain of losing a child never healed, Nathalie found comfort in knowing that her son Viggo lived on through others.

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In his death, the teenager saved five lives — as Nathalie and her husband had made the decision to donate Viggo's organs.

"Viggo saved the lives of people from India and the UAE, with three organs going to Saudi Arabia. His lungs, kidneys, heart, and liver were donated. His heart was received by a 27-year-old Saudi woman. But all details remain anonymous,” the expat said.

Amidst her grief all these years, Nathalie takes pride in making that decision, which was coursed through the UAE's organ donation programme Hayat.

"For me, the loss is irreversible. My son is gone but when you are asked 'Do you want to save lives?' — can you say no?" the expat said.

Remembering Viggo

Viggo, with half Danish-French roots, was the reigning champion of the Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit before his untimely death. He also won the King Hamad Trophy, the 6th Amateurs, and the Dubai Golf Trophy with the Amateur team.

The student of GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail was preparing to go to the US on a scholarship, and the family was already in the process of vetting colleges.

The golf prodigy experienced numbness in his left arm and lips in January 2022 and then fell unconscious in his father's arms. He went into a coma never to return.

Viggo was eventually declared brain dead.

“A team from Abu Dhabi approached us with a request regarding organ donation, and we had only a couple of days to consider it. My husband and I looked at each other and decided to proceed," Nathalie said.

“I knew all along that when someone is declared brain dead, the end has already come. Donating an organ is a profound expression of human love. So, why not do it?”

Gift of life

In that moment of grief, Nathalie had to decide quickly as organs would deteriorate rapidly.

“I grew up in a family where I received a lot of love and care, particularly my mother who was always generous and eager to help others, and my grandmother who helped during the war. They taught me that that giving leads to receiving blessings," said the expat, recalling her thoughts before she gave Hayat the go-ahead.

Now, the mother is an active ambassador of the UAE Hayat programme.

“Hayat, in Arabic, means ‘life’. The greatest gift to give is the gift of life. ...This gives hope to others and helps transform loss into legacy," she said.

Her only target now, she said, is to save more lives — encourage more people to become organ donors, and support donor families.

"Because of my podcasts and other outreach programmes, there have been people wanting to meet me, especially mothers who have lost their children. Some people run and hug me, and some people just cry. I am very spiritual. I feel this is the Viggo effect,” said the mother.

‘You never recover’

The transplant programme has put Nathalie in touch with people who went through the same nightmare.

“When you lose a child, the pain is the same and I bond with these mothers at that level. It cuts across religion, race, overcoming initial shock, denial, and anger. They weep for hours in front of me. This is the worst that can happen to any parent. You never recover,” she said,

The Hayat ambassador emphasised how there are many end-stage diseases with no other cure short of transplantation.

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