Miracle Macie!

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I squeezed my nana Betty’s hand as I was wheeled into theatre.

‘Love you,’ she smiled, but her brow was creased with worry.

I wasn’t nervous.I’d lost count of the number of operations I’d had. And I was still only 14!

Born with half a heart, I was in and out of hospital for regular MOTs. But this time it was different.

A procedure called Fontan surgery would hopefully strengthen my one ventricle, so I wouldn’t be constantly out of breath.

On 16 October 2006, I lay down and waited for the anaesthetic to kick in…

Next thing I knew, my mum Lesley was whispering my name.

Squinting at the bright lights, I felt like I’d been run over by a train!

‘Mum?’ I croaked.

‘Becka!’ she cried. ‘I’ve not left your side for six weeks. We didn’t know when you’d wake up.’

How long?!

Unfortunately, the surgery hadn’t gone to plan. So, I’d had a heart transplant four days later.

They’d been lucky to find me a match so quickly, but the intensive surgery, and a bad reaction to anaesthetic, had left me in a coma-like state.

Now, it’d soon be Christmas!

Glad to be alive