BRAVE two-year-old Beatrix Archbold has been given the gift of life with a new heart — just weeks after her parents made a desperate plea in The Sun.
Dad Terry and mum Cheryl were terrified they would lose her after she had spent nearly half her life in hospital being kept alive by an artificial organ.
Brave Beatrix Archbold, 2, has been given the gift of life with a new heart
Beatrix’s parents made a desperate plea in The Sun for a donor
Beatrix suffered a life-threatening blood clot in April and they issued their urgent appeal for a donor, fearing she would run out of time.
First daughter Isabel was stillborn five years ago and the devastated couple donated her heart for research to help others.
Now, Beatrix has had a transplant and is recovering at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. The family hopes she will be home within a few weeks.
Terry, 45, said: “Beatrix has been so brave — she’s always got a smile for everyone. She’s lived nearly half her life in hospital with an artificial heart keeping her alive.
“To have a new heart now is just fantastic news.
“And more than anything we want to thank the family of the donor.
“We know that for Beatrix to have a new heart, then another family has lost a loved one. I know how difficult the decision about donation can be — we have seen both sides.”
Beatrix became ill last year when a rash appeared on the back of her neck.
Doctors detected a heart murmur and an X-ray showed one side of her heart was enlarged.
She then suffered heart failure and went into cardiac arrest. Surgery was needed to attach her to the artificial device to do the work of her failing heart.
She stayed on it for more than a year, and suffered several life-threatening blood clots.
Terry added: “It really was a race against time for her to get a new heart.”
Terry and Cheryl, 41, of Co Durham, are urging people to sign up to the donor register so more children like Beatrix can be helped.
TO sign up to be a donor, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Beatrix has had a transplant and is recovering at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Read More