‘I feel so grateful to the donor’s family’

THE five patients who had lifesaving transplant operations within 36 hours at Royal Papworth Hospital have expressed their gratitude to the donors, their families and medical staff.

Joanne Hext was diagnosed with genetic cardiomyopathy, which causes heart muscles to thicken, following a stroke five years ago.

After her stroke doctors found both she and her brother shared the faulty heart gene. “A year ago I was on holiday with the children and grandchildren and I began to feel really unwell,” she said.

“I went to my local hospital the Queen Alexandra in Cosham and my cardiologist said I need to refer you for a transplant.”

After the surgery a few weeks later, she said: “It’s transformed my life. I can walk and talk when I couldn’t do either and I’m playing football with my grandsons.”

She said she is “so grateful” to the donor’s family: “You feel humbled they’ve been able to do that to transform someone’s life”.

Joanne said hospital staff were “amazing”, and her brother is now on the transplant waiting list.

Luke Palfreyman has cystic fibrosis, where sticky mucus builds up in the lungs and digestive system.

Since his double lung transplant he has been going to the gym and riding horses. “The team at Papworth and my surgeon are amazing and I can’t thank the cystic fibrosis team at Leeds enough as they kept me alive before the transplant”, he said.

Michelle Hemmings has had lung fibrosis, a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs, for 23 years.

Her surgeon Marius Berman carried out a lung transplant. Before the operation, she was given less than two years to live.

She said: “It’s a massive change since the transplant. I wasn’t able to walk to the corner shop but now I can. I’m really privileged.

“I tell my friends and family, get your donor card, help others.”