At the age of 15, doctors feared Katie Mitchell was nearing the end of her life after suffering irreversible lung damage and heart failure from a rare congenital condition.
But she defied the odds with a heart and lung transplant and, at the age of 53, became the UK’s longest-surviving recipient of such a procedure.
Mitchell was diagnosed with Eisenmenger syndrome at age 11. She suffered from high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, which caused increased resistance to blood flow in the lungs, leading to irreversible lung damage and heart failure.
Mitchell underwent his combined transplant at the Royal Papworth Hospital in September 1987, a procedure so rare that only about five are carried out in the UK each year.
“Through organ donation, I was given the gift of a normal life,” she said.
“I think about my donor a lot, especially on the anniversary of the transplant. I think about his family and what his family must have felt at that time.
“I just know that my donor was a young woman. Her family made this decision at a terrible time in her life. I am very grateful to her.
“It is quite difficult to put into words how I feel knowing that I am now the longest serving heart and lung recipient in the UK. The feelings are mixed.
“People I know who have had the same transplant have passed away in front of me, but it’s a blessing and it’s amazing to feel like I’ve had all this extra time.
“I’m not really sure why it worked so well. Maybe immunosuppressants work well for me. Everyone has so many different reactions to medications and everyone has their own regimen.”
There are currently 8,124 people on the transplant waiting list in the UK, with 12 waiting for a heart or lung transplant.
Mitchell’s transplant is working well. She also underwent two kidney transplants from deceased donors in 1994 and 2015.
Mitchell, from Sidcup, south-east London, said: “I went to an event in Papworth and a few young women had recently had heart-lung transplants.
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“I think it did them and their parents good to see how long I and other people lived.
“Very often people are told they may only have five or ten years with a heart or lung transplant. Being able to see me and others who had been alive for many years made a big difference to them.
“I think my story is simply proof that organ donation and transplantation works and that you can live a normal life. »
Mitchell, who is married with a stepdaughter, supports NHS Blood and Transplant’s call for people to confirm their support for organ donation on the NHS organ donor register.
Marius Berman, surgical lead for transplantation at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to see Katie continuing to live life to the fullest, 38 years after her transplant.
“To see it succeed so profoundly is testament to the skill of many NHS teams, the generosity of donors and the resilience of patients like Katie.
“His journey offers real hope to those currently waiting for a transplant and reminds us all of the importance of organ donation. »
