Emma Hopkins
Emma's page
Fundraising for British Heart Foundation
Story
Thanks for visiting my page. I'm raising money for the British Heart Foundation's research and I'd be so grateful for your support.
I’m running for my colleagues 12 year old niece, Kayleigh Llewellyn. In October, without any warnings, a very fit and healthy Kayleigh became very ill with heart problems and was admitted to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Over the following weeks, Kayleigh became very poorly and had to have a Vad Pump fitted to the left side of her heart and EMCO machine to the right as her heart was failing. At the beginning of November, her family were advised that the treatment was not working and they had to make the hardest decision – to place Kayleigh on the emergency transplant register.
Within days a heart was available and Kayleigh went to surgery, but due to poor weather conditions, the heart deteriorated and devastatingly could not be used. Kayleigh was then placed in a coma and remained asleep for seven days . While asleep, she went back to surgery to be fitted to a Berlin heart machine to give her a fighting chance as her own heart was down to ten per cent of its capabilities.
But then, on Saturday, November 24 at 11.15pm, Kayleigh was gifted the heart she desperately needed and was in surgery by 11.30pm.The
transplant was a huge success and proved a perfect blood and tissue match.
Since then Kayleigh has continued to amaze the doctors and surgeon with her determination and strength to get stronger.
I'm certainly no runner and this will be a huge challenge for me, but if Kayleigh can go through that and still have a huge smile on her face I'm determined to cross that finish line (I can't guarantee I will be smiling though!)