Sally Slater had a heart transplant when she was just six years old. Before then, she had become ill with a virus and rapidly got worse. Her mum Bridget took Sally to hospital where she was diagnosed with the virus Coxsackie B which is similar to the bacterial form of meningitis, and was affecting Sally's heart muscles.
Sally's health continued to deteriorate and her parents were told she needed a heart transplant. They decided to go public with an appeal for a heart donor, trying to raise awareness of Sally's situation in the hope that more people would consider organ donation to help her, and others like her. They had almost given up hope and were preparing to say a final goodbye to their daughter when a donated organ became available.
The operation to give Sally a new heart took seven hours. During that time around eight pints of blood were used - which is the equivalent of 10 blood donations . The operation was successful, and Sally recovered at home in North Yorkshire for just six weeks before going back to school.
Sally is now a healthy, happy teenager.
