Mayfield Woman's life saved by heart transplant – NHS ask Sussex families to discuss organ donation

The service said more than 300 people, including more than 40 children, were waiting for a heart transplant this Valentine’s Day.

The NHS said the waiting list for a heart transplant has risen 85% in the last decade, from 169 patients in March 2012 to 313 in March 2021, and it has said it is more important than ever that families share their decisions around organ donation to save more lives.

Hannah Sharma, from Mayfield, received a heart transplant in 2019 after suddenly becoming very ill with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. A very serious condition that meant Hannah’s heart was enlarged, scarred and unable to pump blood around her body effectively.

Six weeks after being listed Hannah received her heart.

Hannah adds: “I have never been more grateful for anything and I’m incredibly thankful for my donor’s family from the bottom of ‘our heart’ for giving me a second chance and for honouring their loved one’s wishes to save lives through organ donation. Organ donation is the greatest gift to those who are waiting.”

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, says: “Thousands of people across the UK are waiting for the call that a donor has been found to save or transform their life, and hundreds of them need a heart transplant. We encourage everyone to have that heart-to-heart now."

For more information, or to register your organ donation decision, click here or call 0300 123 23 23.

NHS app users can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.

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