Scots charity hits £2m milestone as founder 'gives back' for organ donor who saved his life

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A charity set up by a double organ recipient to 'pay tribute to his donor' has helped fund £2 million worth of good causes across Scotland.

Before his life-saving kidney surgery 17 years ago, Russell MacMillan felt scared but was determined to make the most of his future.After the surgery he set up East Renfrewshire Good Causes and set out to raise £100,000 for his local community.

Russell , now 59, told Glasgow Live: "I can remember getting ready for going into the operating theatre, I was so weak and scared. "I felt something come over me - I can only describe it as some sort of experience where I got a surge of energy to write down what I want to do in the future once I have had this surgery, all going well. “I shouldn’t have been thinking about anything other than getting through the surgery in that moment, but instead it where was the idea of East Renfrewshire Good Causes came from.”The charity was set up in 2007 by Newton Mearns man Russell, who is also registered blind.

East Renfrewshire Good Causes aims to carry out acts of kindness in memory of the unknown donor. He added: “I am alive today, because of the organs that were donated to me.