JOY AS HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT KAYLEIGH BECOMES A TEENAGER
A courageous youngster who underwent a heart transplant last Christmas is celebrating her 13th birthday – six months on from her life-saving surgery.
Kayleigh Llewellyn was diagnosed with a type of heart disease called cardiomyopathy late last year after suddenly becoming unwell and struggling to breathe.
Suffering from chest pains, Kayleigh, from Earl Street in Seaham, was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital where her heart rate was found to be too high and she was transferred to the Freeman Hospital’ s Heart Unit in Newcastle.
Doctors diagnosed her with heart disease and said she needed to undergo a heart transplant.
After four weeks in intensive care, Kayleigh was placed onto the urgent transplant list for a new heart in November.
Parents Shaun Sidney and Sonia Llewellyn prayed for a miracle and their prayers were answered when Kayleigh was able to undergo the transplant just before Christmas last year.
Th transplant was a success and Kay leigh was finally able to return home with her family, where she has been going from strength to strength.
Sunday, May 24, marked six months since Kayleigh underwent her life-saving transplant, just a week before her 13th birthday yesterday.
Dad Shaun said: “Kayleigh has hit her first major milestone – six months post-transplant and keeps amazing the team at the Freeman Hospital with her progress.
“She will never get away from the fact that she has to take medication for the rest of her life, but has adapted well with including it into her daily routine.
“In under six months our amazing lady has gone from being on a life support machine and undergoing a heart transplant, to coming back to being near top form.
“She has no issues or concerns and all vital signs are fantastic, with further medication now being reduced. We can not thank the amazing NHS staff at the Freeman Hospital for all their support and love and to get Kayleigh back to where she should be.”
Now the Seaham High School pupil is looking forward to getting back to doing the things she loves, including playing football with team NSG Panthers in Washington. She is even planning a charity match in aid of the Children’s Heart Unit.
Shaun added: “Kayleigh’s 13th birthday is a day we thought we would never see.”