Toddler needs new heart after health worsens
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustThe parents of a 21-month-old girl with a serious heart condition are urging other families to consider organ donations.
Poppy was diagnosed before her birth with a rare congenital heart defect and in December had major heart surgery at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Her condition worsened and she underwent several more surgeries before doctors discovered her tricuspid valve was damaged, meaning her only option was a heart transplant.
Her parents Becca and Kevin, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria, have asked people to talk to their families about organ donation, as it could give a child a "chance of life".
Becca said the current expected wait for a transplant was about two years and the heart would need to come from a child of a similar size to Poppy.
"Unfortunately, and understandably, a lot of families don't want to give away their child after losing them so unexpectedly, but that's our only hope in getting Poppy home," Becca said.
The family hopes speaking about Poppy's illness will encourage more people to sign up for organ donation.
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustPoppy's treatment has involved her being supported by an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which acted as an artificial heart and lungs.
She has undergone dialysis following temporary kidney failure and was later fitted with a Berlin Heart to mechanically pump blood around her body.
"It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for us, especially when we thought Poppy was getting better," said Kevin.
Barbara Cardoso, paediatric cardiology consultant and transplant physician at Newcastle Hospitals, said some families who lost their children found comfort in choosing to donate organs, but no matter their decision, they would be supported by medical staff.
"Nothing can take away the unimaginable pain of the loss of a child," she said.
"But some families find comfort in knowing that, if they choose organ donation, their child's heart can help another child live - a legacy of love that continues."
