My dad, by Mel Coton

At 43 years old my Dad suffered a massive heart attack due to a hereditary heart condition he knew nothing about. His only chance of survival was a heart transplant. When Dad was allowed home from hospital oxygen lines had to be installed. He could hardly walk from the settee to the kitchen door. Mum had to do everything for him, including personal care. He couldn’t drive and had to be pushed around in a wheelchair. I had to help care for him after school. I was 12 years old.

Six months later the Transplant Coordinator at QE Hospital confirmed there was a heart that was a match. They still had to finish tests to make sure the heart was suitable. Dad was a match suitable for transplantation first time. The heart wasn’t a match for anyone else on the list within the viability window. By then he was in kidney failure and might not survive such a huge operation. As the heart was only a match for him and he was at a stage where he was unlikely to live another two weeks without the transplant, the team decided to go ahead with the operation.

The operation was a success. Dad was walking within days and left hospital by day twelve, fighting fit. I had my Dad back! Dad joined the Birmingham Transplant Games Team and travelled the country with other transplant recipients each year to compete in table tennis, volley ball and long jump, where he won several medals.

Transplantation really is the gift that keeps on giving. Not all of Dad’s old heart was useless. His valves were still in good working order and were transplanted into an 18 month old baby, too small to receive synthetic valves. I hope our donor family were able to take some comfort in knowing their decision changed not only my Dad’s life, but also all the lives around him.

The transplant team remained a big part of our life up until Dad had another heart attack because of his hereditary condition. He was taken to surgery where a quadruple bypass was performed on his transplanted heart – a very rare and complex procedure. The operation wasn’t successful as the heart had been too badly damaged by the heart attack. and so he was again assessed for transplant. However, kidney failure had again set in and his condition deteriorated so much that he became too ill to go on the transplant list for a second time.

My Dad passed away on 4 September 2007. I take great comfort in knowing that I had him for an extra eight years, thanks to the brave and selfless decision of another family going through their darkest of times and the incredible skills and care of the heart and lung transplant team at the QE Hospital. My family can never thank either of them enough.