'Stranger's selfless act saved my daughter - I'll never be able to repay them'
A loving mother has told how a “miracle” saved her desperately sick daughter.
Emma Austin was heavily pregnant with her eighth child when her 13-year-old daughter Olivia had her transplant. Olivia was born with rare heart condition transposition of the great arteries and was so ill earlier this year that she needed the transplant to survive. After an organ became available, Emma made a 230-mile dash from their home in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle to see Olivia go into surgery.
Emma said: “Many thoughts went through my head on that journey, from worrying whether Olivia would survive the surgery to feeling a sense of guilt that someone had lost their life. I also felt thankful that in someone’s darkest hour they decided to donate the organs of a loved one to save others.
“Without the selfless act of our donor and their family, our daughter would not be with us now. She was too poorly to wait any longer.” Emma arrived in Newcastle after a five-hour journey to see Olivia as she went into surgery. Emma said: “I kissed my gorgeous Olivia as the Freeman’s amazing theatre team put her to sleep and took her away. Then I broke down.”
Olivia in hospital
Olivia holds her baby brother RalphieThe operation was a success and Olivia returned home in June. Emma said: “She loved being back with her siblings, just in time to welcome her new baby brother, Ralphie, to the world. It was the one thing she wished for in her recovery – to hold her baby brother.” Emma, 43, a care assistant, paid tribute to the Sick Children’s Trust, which let her stay by Olivia’s side as she recovered.
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A new opt-out organ donor law was introduced in England in 2020 after a five-year Mirror campaign. The Austins wanted to tell Olivia’s story to champion organ donation. Emma, who was supported by her husband David, 49, and kids Charlie 14, Harry, 11, Alfie, nine, Matthew, seven, Rosie, six and Nellie, two, said: “Every day is important to our family when it comes to raising awareness.” Olivia said: “I have lots of hospital appointments, checking my body does not reject my heart, but it’s all worth it.”
* sickchildrenstrust.org
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