Celebrating 40 years of life-saving transplants

It was 40 years ago this week Pauline Duffy became the Freeman Hospital’s first heart patient.

- SAM VOLPE Health reporter

Pauline survived 25 years after surgery. At an event marking the 40th anniversary of the pioneering surgery, her life was remembered while staff and patients at the Newcastle hospital paid tribute to the “most incredible gift” that is organ donation.

At the event, held at the hospital, surgeon Asif Shah joined mid-way through - fresh from the operating theatre - to bring the news that yet another heart transplant had been completely successfully. That makes it well over 1,000 heart transplants in 40 years that has seen the hospital among the world’s most renowned centres for this type of operation.

Professor John Dark, who led the cardiothoracic transplant unit for two decades, was among those to give moving speeches, while patients such as David Yates, Sanjana Kochar, Kaylee Davidson-Olley and Daniel Ward were among those present as living proof of the success of such transplants.

Long-time transplant co-ordinator Lynne Holt also spoke of the many members of staff who'd played vital roles over many years, while Rob Harrison, acting chief executive of the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Freeman, said: “It’s an enormous privilege to be here, especially with the history of what has been achieved here.”