The mum of a one-year-old girl who was fitted with a pacemaker at just four-days-old says she is in desperate need of a heart transplant. Little Minnie Stanley is currently in a hospital miles away from her home in Little Hulton hooked up to a mechanical heart that is keeping her live.
Minnie was born with a congenital complete heart block which meant she had to have an operation to fit a pace maker into her heart soon after she was born. Despite this, she managed to go home and was ‘coping well’ as a ‘normal child with a pacemaker’.
However, her mother, Natasha Stanley, says at the beginning of this year she started to notice some 'issues' with Minnie's appetite and breathing until one morning she woke up and found that Minnie’s whole body had swollen. Confused and thinking it was an ‘allergic reaction’, Natasha took Minnie to hospital where she was told that her daughter was having a heart failure and had to have another surgery to fit a larger pacemaker.
Unfortunately the surgery was unsuccessful and Minnie was placed on the heart transplant list, meaning it could take up to 12 months to find a viable donor. Minnie is currently at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London hooked up to a Berlin heart that is helping her live like a normal baby, and regain her strength after multiple operations at such a tender age.
Natasha says that too comes with ‘risks’ however and they are looking for an organ donor to come forward to so they can bring Minnie Home. Speaking to the MEN about the family’s ordeal, Natasha, 25, said: “It’s been hard, it’s been very difficult, but I’ve had to stay strong for Minnie. We've had moments were we thought we'd have to say goodbye to Minnie.
"The difficult bit is being away from my six-year-old son as well, it’s tough for him too being away from his mother and sister but he’s having to understand what’s going on.
“It’s not something you really think about until you’re in the situation, it’s a big thing and not many parents want to donate their children’s organs. “The Berlin heart comes with a risk, clots can form and that could be dangerous for her.
"Medicine is great but it’s a 12 month waiting list. I want life back to normal and for her to be healthy. The transplant is a risk as well but it’s our only option."
You can donate to the a JustGiving page has been set up to raise awareness and money for The Ronald McDonald House Charities which has helped Natasha with accommodation and meningitis and sepsis awareness charity Sienna's Smile. You can donate here.
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