Hannah Clark is no ordinary teenager and her normal life today could not have been possible without a unique, life-changing heart surgery.When she was eight-months-old, Hannah was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy — an inflammation of the heart muscle that impairs the heart’s ability to work properly.
Hannah’s heart was failing and she needed a transplant. But instead of taking her own heart out, doctors added a new donated heart to her own when she was just two-years-old. As with any organ transplant, Hannah’s body was likely to reject her new heart and she had to take powerful immune suppression drugs.
Those drugs allowed her body to accept the donor heart but also led to cancer and yet another medical battle for Hannah that lasted for years. Nearly 11 years after receiving the extra heart, there was more bad news: The immuno-suppression drugs were no longer working. Hannah’s body was rejecting the donor heart.
Hannah’s heart was failing and she needed a transplant. But instead of taking her own heart out, doctors added a new donated heart to her own when she was just two-years-old. As with any organ transplant, Hannah’s body was likely to reject her new heart and she had to take powerful immune suppression drugs.
Those drugs allowed her body to accept the donor heart but also led to cancer and yet another medical battle for Hannah that lasted for years. Nearly 11 years after receiving the extra heart, there was more bad news: The immuno-suppression drugs were no longer working. Hannah’s body was rejecting the donor heart.
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| 16 year old Hannah Clark |
Her doctors tried something that had never been done before: They took out the donor heart. Doctors theorized that the donor heart had allowed Hannah’s heart to rest, recover and grow back stronger. Now for the first time Hannah’s father, Paul Clark, describes the agonizing decision the family had to make at the time: “If she’d never had it done, she wouldn’t be here.
“In the very beginning it was a 50/50 chance she wasn’t going to make the operation. But in the next one it was even greater because it had never been done before. But we had to take that risk,” he said. The doctors were right. Three years later, Hannah has no need for any drugs and has been given a clean bill of health. The operation was a success.
“In the very beginning it was a 50/50 chance she wasn’t going to make the operation. But in the next one it was even greater because it had never been done before. But we had to take that risk,” he said. The doctors were right. Three years later, Hannah has no need for any drugs and has been given a clean bill of health. The operation was a success.
“The possibility of recovery of the heart is just like magic.” Dr. Yacoub said at a media conference.
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