Everyone at the Charity was very sad to hear that our dear friend, Andrew Mackenzie has passed away.

Andrew was a long-time supporter of the charity and a dedicated fundraiser. He was also a warm and friendly human being, with an energy that was infectious. It was very sad to hear that he tested positive for Covid-19 in mid-November, leading to him sadly passing away on Tuesday 30 November.

Harefield Hospital Fundraising Manager Sallinder Rai, who knew Andrew well, said:

It’s heart breaking when we lose someone who has been such a brilliant supporter of the Charity. Harefield Hospital helps thousands of people each year and we are always grateful when patients want to give something back. The Charity is built on the time and generosity of people like Andrew, who help us to support even more people, which makes it really hard when we have to say goodbye.

When Andrew retired from his bank manager job, he took up logging. In 2014 he received a lung transplant at Harefield Hospital that saved his life. After his recovery, he became a phenomenal supporter of the Charity, using his logging skills and dedication to handcraft wooden reindeer and snowmen Christmas decorations, alongside his wife Sandra. He sold these online and through our shop, raising more than £18,000 to date for Harefield Hospital.

Last Christmas, Andrew paid tribute to Harefield Hospital, saying: “I'm alive because of some amazing people and a donor whom, sadly I will never meet but is always in my prayers. They have between them given me, so far, an additional 3,679,200 minutes of life. I'm watching our children and grandchildren develop and I'm still here to annoy Sandra, my long-suffering wife of 41 years.”

The thoughts of everyone at the Charity are with Sandra and the rest of Andrew’s family and we hope that they find some comfort in the fact that Harefield Hospital was able to give Andrew more time with them.

Andrew will be greatly missed. He made a huge difference for patients like himself and he enriched the lives of everyone he met. Thank you for being in our lives Andrew.

The final batch of Andrew’s wooden snowmen and reindeer Christmas decorations are still available to buy through our website. All the funds raised will go towards helping patients like Andrew have more time with their families.

View Andrew’s wooden snowmen and reindeer