Gift of life saved our little Sophia
THE parents of a two-year-old with 11 heart defects have called on MPs to back the opt-out system.
Sophia Marshall had her first cardiac arrest at two days old, but her aorta was repaired by donated heart tissue. Doctors found further defects and spent 18 months trying to fix her. Eventually they told her parents Chantelle and Samuel Marshall to take her home to die.
The couple, both aged 30, refused to give up and Sophia had a risky op to repair her heart last July and is now smiling and enjoying life. Her parents pray she stays healthy enough for a transplant in her teens. Chantelle, of Wychbold, Worcs, said: “We could have lost her if the donated heart tissue she needed wasn’t available.”
Dad Samuel, who has only one kidney, could need a transplant himself in the future.