53-year-old woman becomes UK’s longest surviving heart and lung transplant | NHS
At the age of 15, doctors feared Katie Mitchell was at the end of her life after suffering irreversible lung damage and heart failure due to a rare congenital disease.
But she defied the odds with a heart-lung transplant and, at the age of 53, became the longest-serving recipient of such a procedure in the UK.
Mitchell was diagnosed with Eisenmenger syndrome when she was 11 years old. She had high blood pressure in her pulmonary arteries, which increased resistance to blood flow through the lungs, leading to irreversible lung damage and heart failure.
Mitchell had a combined organ transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital in September 1987, a procedure so rare that only five transplants are performed in the UK each year.
“Thanks to organ donation, I received the gift of a normal life,” she said.
“I think about the donor a lot, especially on the anniversary of the transplant. I think about their family and what their family felt at the time.
“I just know that the donor was a young female. Her family made this decision at a terrible time in their lives. I am so grateful.
“It is very difficult to put into words how I feel knowing that I am now the longest-living heart and lung recipient in the UK. It is mixed emotions.
“People I know who had the same transplant passed away before me, but it’s wonderful and amazing to feel like I’ve got all this extra time.
“I don’t really know why it works so well. Maybe immunosuppressants work well for me. Everyone has many different reactions to medications, and everyone has their own regimen.”
There are currently 8,124 people on the waiting list for organ transplants in the UK, including 12 waiting for a heart and lung transplant.
Mitchell’s transplant is working well. She also performed two kidney transplants from deceased donors in 1994 and 2015.
Mitchell, from Sidcup in south-east London, said: “I went to an event in Papworth and there were two young women who had recently had heart and lung transplants.
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“I think it’s good for them and their parents to see how long I and the others have lived.
“Often people are told they may only get five or 10 years out of a heart or lung transplant. Being able to see me and other people who have lived for many years has made a huge difference to them.
“I think my story is just proof that organ donation and transplantation works and you can live a normal life.”
Mitchell, who is married with a daughter, supports NHS Blood and Transplant’s call for people to confirm their support for donating on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Marius Berman, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust surgical lead for transplantation, said: “It is wonderful to see Katie continuing to live her life to the full, 38 years after her transplant.
“Seeing such profound success is testament to the skill of so many NHS teams, the generosity of donors, and the resilience of patients like Katie.
“Her journey provides real hope for others currently waiting for organ transplants and reminds us all of the importance of organ donation.”