Shannon Curran had a heart transplant operation at three-months-oldThe parents of Northern Ireland's youngest heart transplant patient have appealed for more people to think about donating their organs.
Shannon Curran, from Warrenpoint, was only three-months-old when she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy - an enlarged heart.
She was so ill, that it was thought she wouldn't even survive the journey to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for the seven-hour operation she needed to save her life.
However the transplant, 9 months ago was a success and now Shannon is celebrating her first birthday. To mark the occasion her parents took her back to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children to thank the staff who cared for her - and make their appeal for more donors.
Her father, Adrian, said: "She was thirteen weeks old whenever she had her operation. Six weeks after she was born that's when she took very ill. It was terrible, a terrible time."
Cardiologist Dr Brian Craig said it had been an arduous trip to the London hospital.
"She, amazingly, made a very difficult, arduous trip by ambulance to Great Ormond Street and survived her surgery and you have seen today the outcome from that. She has made a remarkable recovery from her heart transplant. Today at a year of age, she is really very well on a few medications. "
Between five and 10 patients in Northern Ireland are waiting for new hearts at any one time. However, the most shocking statistic is that a third of those on the waiting list die before a donor is found.
Donna, Shannon's mother, said she and her husband wanted others to sign up to the donor register, after the success of her child's operation.
"Shannon is such a miracle child. Only for a donor, she would not have made it," she said.
"It is to encourage other people to sign up to the donor register and see the chances that other people can give, through tragedy, unfortunately."
Her parents say they will never forget the staff in Belfast and in London who made her life possible.
October 2006 |
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