The British Heart Foundation is celebrating three amazing young women who donated their old hearts to science after undergoing heart transplant surgery.
We often talk about organ donors who have sadly passed away and whose generous decision to donate their organs posthumously saved the lives of others. However, many people who are still alive also agree to have their organs used in scientific research projects and donate their organs to help others.
Katie James, Carla Terol and Hannah Sharma, who poured their hearts into research including a project at Imperial College London, encourage others facing a transplant to consider doing the same. All three women underwent heart transplants before the age of 35, helping science move one step closer to a cure for heart failure. (Each of their stories and a summary of the research they supported are attached).
Tissue taken from their hearts is already making a difference after being donated to a research project to help identify key defective proteins. If this protein is corrected through gene therapy, it may be possible for others to avoid heart failure. The women’s generosity could also bring scientists closer to creating new heart valves in the lab, which could help them understand how the heart’s normal electrical signals are disrupted by cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease.
Katie James was 32 years old when she received her transplant in 2016. She was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy when she was 20 years old. This is a rare condition in which the heart’s structure may weaken because the cells in the muscle tissue do not develop properly. Thanks to her donor heart, she is able to go paddleboarding and hiking, and she named her “Alfie.” The 41-year-old, who now lives in Bournemouth, said: “I never said no to donating my heart, and I still don’t often say no. As I tell people, you only live once. Or you only live twice. After getting my new heart, I feel like I did.”
Hannah Sharma was supposed to be watching the Spice Girls kick off their reunion tour in Dublin on May 24, 2019, the day she underwent a heart transplant. At just 28 years old, she was the youngest person in the transplant ward. As a treat to herself after her surgery and recovery, she adopted Huey, a beloved 7-year-old miniature dachshund. Hannah, from Hadlowdown, Sussex, had heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle in which the ventricles become enlarged and the walls of the heart muscle become thin and weakened. This is believed to be caused by a virus. she said: “My old heart wasn’t what made me ‘me’ and I was happy to donate it to scientists who needed it. I hope this heart can help others in the future so that transplants are less likely to be needed.”
Crewe resident Kara Terol, who will be 34 when she receives the transplant in 2022 and will be a mother of one, is grateful for the research that discovered she had a dangerous heart condition. When she gave birth to her son George, she signed up as a volunteer in a study to find out how pregnancy affects the heart. That’s when she learned that she had restrictive cardiomyopathy, a disease in which parts of the heart become stiff, limiting its ability to pump blood throughout the body. Kara said: “I had no doubts about donating my heart for research. If it weren’t for the pregnancy study I signed up for, I wouldn’t have known I had heart disease. Scientific research is essential.”
Professor Brian Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said:
“Giving the gift of organ donation is an incredible act, but we rarely talk about the amazing living heart donors.
“While these people prepare for the life-changing journey of a heart transplant and the long recovery that will follow, they are looking to the future and determined that their old hearts can help others.
“Their decision to donate their hearts for research opens the door to discoveries that are only possible by testing real human tissue, allowing researchers to identify the causes of heart disease, test new ideas, and improve treatments.
“We cannot thank these individuals enough for their critical role in driving scientific innovation and progress.”
The Heart, Lung and Critical Care Biobank at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust, is responsible for storing tissue from heart donors, including these three women, and providing it to approved research groups for important research.
Many of the medical advances we rely on today were made possible by patients who chose to donate their samples. By donating their diseased hearts, patients can help address critical gaps in scientific knowledge that cannot be filled in any other way.
These contributions are not just a sample, but represent a lasting legacy that will support advances in research and benefit future generations. ”
Harshil Bhayani, Heart, Lung and Critical Care (HLCC) Biobank Manager, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Trust
