Heart girl, 22, dies from cancer ‘caused by transplant drugs’
a WOMAN who received a heart transplant as a baby has died at the age of 22 – with her longterm medication suspected of causing terminal cancer.
shortly after her first birthday in 1995, annelise MacLean, of inverness, became one of the youngest-ever heart transplant patients.
But in august last year she was diagnosed with lymphoma, and despite undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy, she died earlier this month.
her mother Julie MacLean, 44, said:
‘We were lucky to know her’
‘They think the lymphoma was as a result of medication she had been on for most of her life after she had a heart transplant when she was just a year old.
‘it was like a ton of bricks for her when she was given the news that it was terminal. But it wasn’t long before she was picking herself up and saying she just had to get on with things.’
in the weeks before her death, Miss MacLean raised £2,000 to ‘give something back’ to her family.
Writing on her online fundraising page she told how her father richard and brother aiden had also battled health problems.
When she was only five, her father retired because of ill health and Mrs MacLean had to work full-time ‘to keep the household going’.
Miss MacLean added: ‘But with me getting worse by the day she has to stay home and look after me.
‘so she is now down to no pay, and with trying to provide for a family of four... on my dad’s small pension [things are] becoming beyond tough. i just really want to give something back to them for what they have done for me, especially this past year.’
after setting a target of £300 she eventually received more than £2,000 in donations.
her mother, 44, said: ‘she did it all in secret and i couldn’t believe it when she showed me.
‘it was very typical of her, though, always putting other people first even when she was struggling herself.
‘she was someone who loved life – selfless, honest, trustworthy and hard-working – and that’s how i would like her to be remembered.’
Miss MacLean was born with a heart that was three times the normal size.
she began to experience health problems from the age of 11 weeks because her heart muscle was too thin, making the organ ‘quiver’ rather than beat normally.
at ten months old she was sent to Freeman hospital, Newcastle, and assessed for a transplant.
When she had the operation she became the youngest patient from the highlands to receive a heart transplant.
Miss MacLean’s funeral service was held at inverness Crematorium on saturday.
her mother said: ‘We just remind ourselves all the time of what a special person annelise was and how lucky we were to know her. That’s what gets you through.’