How seven-year-old Abigail Iles saved four lives

Mar 22 2009 by Helen Rae, Sunday Sun

Heart op kids make good progress TWO remarkable heart-swap children who live just a few streets apart are recovering well in hospital.

Ellen Walsh and Patrick Skinner both underwent transplant surgery within hours of one another at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, earlier this month.

Despite living close in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, the parents of Ellen and Patrick never met until their worlds were simultaneously turned upside down.

Today the youngsters were both making good progress and taking tentative steps towards a full recovery.

Ellen, 10 months, was born with a series of complications meaning her arteries were the wrong way round and she had two holes in her heart.

Patrick, two-and-a-half, was diagnosed with leukaemia in July after parents Kevin and Devon took him to their GP, concerned about his bad chest.

Things were looking up as the youngster fought the illness and was placed in remission in early December.

But less than one week before Christmas, a reaction to one of his chemotherapy drugs caused his heart to fail and he was placed on a double “Berlin Heart” on Boxing Day and also put on the transplant register.

The youngsters’ plight brought Kevin, 28, and Devon, 25, together with Ellen’s parents Stefanie, 30, and Ian, 34.

Both families were facing nervous waits of up to six months for replacement hearts. Astonishingly, both received the call on the same day to say organs had been found.

Patrick was taken out of intensive care but remains in isolation at the Freeman Hospital.

Ellen is waiting for the green light to be taken out of intensive care at the hopital in days to come.