Grateful transplant patient given ‘the most amazing heart’
A transplant patient says she has received “the most amazing heart” after developing sudden heart failure which left her on the brink of death.
Joanna van Weegan received a new heart last year after suffering excruciating pain, weight gain and extreme fatigue.
Doctors first thought her illness was Covid-related as the symptoms were similar, but as she was leaving hospital following a check-up a junior doctor told her she thought she had had a heart attack.
The junior doctor then ensured her heart was checked and a problem was found, which was so serious Joanna had to be transferred to NHS Golden Jubilee in Clydebank under the care of the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service (SNAHFS).
NHS Golden Jubilee has been the sole provider of Scottish heart transplants since 2008 and has now carried out more than 250 within the Golden Jubilee University Hospital.
Joanna, 49, a self-employed cleaner from Blackburn, West Lothian, said: “The illness just came out of nowhere. I hadn’t even been to a GP in years, but I was really struggling when I first got the symptoms.
“I put it down to working too hard as I’m a bit of workaholic and was working with my sister’s events company and doing my own cleaning work.
“It didn’t really register at the time, but if I hadn’t got to the Jubilee when I did I simply wouldn’t be here and I’m so grateful to everyone involved for that.
“I put my illness down to being tired from work, but I wasn’t right for a while and even had to drop my weights at the gym because I was struggling and then it all just came to a head.
“My advice to anyone with these symptoms is to get checked over and if you’re still feeling poorly then be stubborn to make sure everything is covered because you know you’re body better than anyone else.
“I feel like I’m back to normal now so I’ve been very, very lucky. I tell everyone how grateful I am to the donor family because I’ve been given the most amazing heart.”
To show her appreciation for her care Joanna raised more than £3,000 for the transplant service, which will be used to help other patients and families who are awaiting a heart transplant in the National Services Division ward at NHS Golden Jubilee.
Joanna’s transplant journey also appears in episode 3 of the 4-part Channel 5 documentary series ‘The Hospital: Life on the Line’, which is being repeated now on the 5 Star channel every Tuesday at 9pm, with repeats on Thursdays at 11pm.
Anne Marie Cavanagh, NHS Golden Nurse Director and Chairperson of the Board’s Organ Donation Committee, said: “Over the past 30 years, the NHS Organ Donor Register has saved and transformed countless lives through the incredible gift of organ and tissue donation. Whatever decision you make, it's essential to record it on the NHS Organ Donor Register and share it with your loved ones.
“Ninety per cent of families have said they will honour their relative’s wishes if they've confirmed their decision on the Register, so please, don’t leave your loved ones in doubt.
“Every opportunity for donation is invaluable to help save lives. Let’s make Organ and Tissue Donation Week count this year, by ensuring your decision is known and shared with those closest to you.”
Additional information
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the NHS Organ Donor Register and celebrates the thousands of lives that have been saved thanks to people agreeing to the gift of organ and tissue donation. With many still awaiting transplants, it remains vital for people to confirm their organ and tissue donation decision.
In Scotland, everyone has a choice when it comes to organ and tissue donation - to be a donor, or to opt out.
If people aged 16 and over choose to do nothing, it may be assumed that they agree to be a donor if they die in circumstances where donation is possible, unless they are in a group for whom the opt out system does not apply, or it would be against their views.
Research has shown that 9 out of 10 families will support organ and tissue donation if their loved one had confirmed their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Register your donation decision and find out more at www.organdonation.scot or call 0300 123 2323.
