Shropshire heart transplant girl to tell story on TV
A Shropshire teenager who was given the gift of life with a heart transplant operation within days of mysteriously falling ill will feature on a television documentary being screened tonight. A Shropshire teenager who was given the gift of life with a heart transplant operation within days of mysteriously falling ill will feature on a television documentary being screened tonight. Zoe Croft, 16, of Myddle, near Wem, is to appear on BBC 1 after having a heart transplant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham earlier this year. At first she came down with what doctors thought was a virus or possibly asthma. But just days later Zoe was fighting for her life in hospital after suffering heart failure, sparking a nationwide race to find a suitable donor organ in time. Her story is being featured on the BBC 1 programme Transplant at 10.35pm. [24link] Full story in today's Shropshire Star
The documentary will show the reality of multiple organ donation, following the organs from a single donor to the different recipients. The programme will also show surgeries and the human stories on both sides, as donor and recipients have agreed to waive the normal anonymity that exists between them.
Zoe's father Steven said that she was recovering well from her transplant and had been keen to take part in the programme to illustrate the importance of donating.
He said: "She was asked about the programme following her operation.
"She was keen to do it and make people aware of the importance of being a donor.
"She is doing well.
"She is back at college and has been as good as gold."
Zoe, who will be 17 on Saturday, is studying business and events management at Reaseheath College in Cheshire.
