Woman celebrates a special Christmas after heart transplant
A YOUNG woman has told of her plans to enjoy Christmas after a heart defect diagnosed a year ago changed her life.
Alycia Matthews, 20, had dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened.
She was told her only hope was a heart transplant after she was transferred to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank.
There she spent the next three months having lifesaving treatment for heart failure until a donor could be found.
Fortunately, she only waited three months for the call and had a heart transplant in March.
Now Ms Matthews, of Bathgate, looks forward to Christmas with her sisters Holly, 11 and Lauren, 23.
She said: “The holidays weren’t much fun for me last year so this year I’ve been extra prepared.
“Everyone was like: ‘Get that tree down. It’s so soon’ but I said: ‘I’m finally getting a Christmas this year. It’s staying up’.” Ms Matthews started to feel unwell a month before last Christmas.
She was suffering chest pain and had trouble breathing, but doctors thought it was a chest infection and she was repeatedly sent home.
Then early on Christmas Eve her condition worsened. Her chest was painful and she struggled to breathe.
Paramedics thought it might be a viral problem but, after some sleep, her symptoms became worse. She entered hospital and had tests on Christmas Eve.
That night they diagnosed a heart problem.