Gift of life Freya is one of first for groundbreaking heart transplant
ATEENAGER from Bristol has become one of the first children in the world to receive a new style of heart transplant, using a technique that ‘reanimates’ the heart outside of the body.
Fourteen-year-old Freya Heddington is one of just a handful of children to benefit from the groundbreaking new method – where a non-beating heart is restarted using a special device, and is kept healthy before the operation.
Donated hearts have previously come from people who are braindead but whose hearts are still beating, limiting the scope for the number of transplants possible.
But thanks to a collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital and Royal Papworth Hospital, surgeons have been able to make hearts start beating again after they have stopped, and successfully transplanted them into children.
The world-first heart transplant technique, which was previously only available to adults, has increased the number of transplants for eligible children in the UK by 50%.
This not only allows organs to be retrieved from farther distances, immediately widening the donor pool, but also means organ retrieval teams have much more time to assess an organ’s function, removing the risk of an organ failing posttransplant.
Freya was 12 when she was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a condition that pushes the lung pressures up and causes dizziness, chest pain, palpitations and tiredness.
In Freya, the condition caused shortness of breath, fainting and she often felt weak.
Weeks after her diagnoses, Freya was referred to the Great Ormond Street Hospital where she was assessed and then urgently listed for a heart transplant.
Freya said: “I remember when they first told me about my heart. It was scary, because I didn’t know what it would mean. Would I be able to go to school, see my friends, do all the things I still loved to do, like ride horses?
“I knew that the transplant would be a big operation, and that it was my best chance at getting back to normality.”
Freya’s dad, Jason, said: “It’s one of the most difficult things that a parent has to hear - that your child is seriously unwell.
“We’ve always been aware that the waiting times for children are long, because finding a match is so difficult. So when we heard about the DCD [donation after circulatory death] heart programme, we started to feel hopeful.
“This could increase Freya’s chances, along with other children on the waiting list. Ultimately, though, we knew that her life was in the hands of a stranger willing to make a donation in the most difficult time of their own lives.”
Freya became the second patient to receive the new-style heart transplant. Speaking about her experience, Freya added: “For me, it happened a lot quicker than for most children. I’m so grateful to my donor and their family for this second chance.
“When I woke up from the surgery I felt like I could finally breathe again.”
“I am ecstatic that I got such an amazing gift, but it’s upsetting to know that someone also died.”
Jason added: “We were worried that with the pandemic things might slow down, but the transplant team at GOSH were always there for us. We were shocked to get the call when we did, but also filled with such gratitude.
“We know that the DCD heart programme made all the difference for our daughter. We also know that if it wasn’t for her donor’s family this wouldn’t even be possible. They’re forever in our thoughts.”
I’m so grateful to my donor and their family for this second chance ... when I woke up from the surgery I felt like I could finally breathe again Freya Heddington