SEPTEMBER: New heart gave me a future

FAtHER-of-two John Braidswood, 60, a retired dentist, lives in Carlisle with wife Morag, 58, a retired wedding florist. John was admitted to hospital in January, needing a heart transplant. He finally went home in September.

JOHN SAYS: Mum had a bad heart but we didn’t realise it was genetic until three years ago when I was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomy-opathy, an inherited condition which made me breathless and lethargic.

I really started to go down-hill last Christmas. I had two episodes where I couldn’t get out of bed and my lungs were filling with fluid. After I was taken to hospital the second time I wasn’t allowed out.

They put me on the urgent transplant list — I was told if I didn’t have a new heart I wouldn’t be here to see this Christmas.

I was in hospital for eight months — at Easter I con-tracted MRSA and sepsis from a catheter and I was in intensive care for a week, but I tried to stay optimistic.

Because I’d been healthy all my life — I’d played rugby internationally — I tried to keep my fitness up, making myself walk around the hospital the whole time. Just before the transplant, I com-pleted my millionth step.

I had three false alarms when a heart became avail-able but was unsuitable, before my transplant finally went ahead in August.

I recovered quickly and was home by the end of September: it was an indescribable feeling.

I chose not to hear details about my donor as it would have been upsetting, but I will write to thank the family. Our son Graeme, who’s 32, is getting married next year, and their gift means I’ll be there.