‘We are grateful for every day we have with her’
Dad’s praise for ‘hero’ heart-transplant patient Kayleigh as she is nominated for Best of Wearside award
A devoted dad has hailed his daughter as a ‘hero’ after seeing her undergo a life-saving heart transplant.
Kayleigh Llewellyn, 12, was given the gift of life at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital on November 24, 2019.
The Seaham High School pupil had become unwell suddenly, after waking up for school complaining that she was struggling to breathe.
Parents Shaun Sidney and Sonia Llewellyn initially thought it was asthma, but when Kayleigh woke up the following day with a sore chest they took her to Sunderland Royal Hospital.
There, medics found that Kayleigh’s heart rate was too high and she was sent to the Freeman Hospital’s Children’s Heart Unit (CHUF).
After undergoing further tests Kayleigh was diagnosed her with cardiomyopathy – a type of heart disease – and doctors told the family that she needed a heart transplant.
Kayleigh was taken to the High Dependency Unit and underwent surgery for a VAD Pump to be fitted on the left side of her heart, while the right side of her heart was linked to an ECMO machine.
After four weeks in intensive care, Kayleigh’s condition wasn’t improving and she was placed onto the urgent transplant list for a new heart in November.
Kayleigh underwent surgery to have a heart pump known as a Berlin Heart fitted, but just days later a heart became available and she was rushed back to theatre to undergo the transplant. Since then Kayleigh has been going from strength to strength and on January 12 she was able to return to her home on Earl Street, Seaham. Now she is on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and raise funds for the hospital which cared for her. Her efforts to spread the message through sharing her story have even been recognised with a Best of Wearside Award nomination.
Kayleigh has been put forward for the Child of Courage accolade, which pays tribute to her bravery in battling back from the illness.
And now her dad Shaun Sidney has shared his emotional message of praise for his daughter following her brave fight.
Mr Sidney said: “Our daughter Kayleigh is our inspiration.
“She fought for 10 weeks to stay with us.
“She went through 10 operations – some of them lasting 13 hours a time – had 100 stitches and was given a new heart.
“Now she is back home with us and we are grateful for everyday we have with her.
“We love her deeply and she is our hero.
“Through all her pain, she is still planning on a lot of fundraising for the hospital and raise a lot of awareness of the importance of donors.”