Donna Mansell (; 1983–2010) is a double heart transplant recipient who has inspired a campaign for

Organ Donation Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin. Donation may be for re ...

education as well as counselling others in a similar situation from her hospital bed. Donna also promoted organ donation through media and charity events and was also the figurehead for the

British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...

's Christmas fundraising drive. Donna's Campaign has been continued by her husband Aaran Mansell after her unfortunate death in July 2010.

Early life

Donna Louise Davidson was born on 14 July 1983 and led a fairly normal childhood until she reached the age of 19. After being pregnant with her daughter Leonie for 33 weeks doctors soon realised that Donna had developed

Dilated cardiomyopathy Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. Symptoms vary from none to feeling tired, leg swelling, and shortness of breath. It may also result in chest pain or fainting. Co ...

. Leonie was delivered by Caesarean section on 9 August 2002 while Donna was treated for heart failure. After 12 weeks of treatment was not successful, doctors realised that a

heart transplant A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...

was the only option and on 2 November 2002 Donna received her first heart transplant at the

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is a major, 1,215 bed, tertiary NHS and military hospital in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, situated very close to the University of Birmingham. The hospital, which cost £545 million to construc ...

. After her transplant Donna developed

Transplant rejection Transplant rejection occurs when transplanted tissue is rejected by the recipient's immune system, which destroys the transplanted tissue. Transplant rejection can be lessened by determining the molecular similitude between donor and recipient ...

a number of times requiring various hospital stays. Eventually doctors gained control and Donna continued her life until December 2004 when her brother James was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and listed for a transplant. James received his heart transplant shortly after. In April 2005 Donna started to feel short of breath and could barely walk. She was diagnosed with Chronic Organ rejection and her body had developed donor specific antibodies which were attacking her heart. This resulted in Donna being listed for another transplant as there was nothing that could be done to save this heart. Four months later Donna received heart transplant number two. In 2007 James died due to transplant complications which hit Donna hard as they had grown very close due to their illnesses. Shortly after Donna received the news that her daughter, Leonie, had also been diagnosed with Dilated cardiomyopathy. They also added that there was a fault in the TNNT2 Gene which was the cause of all their heart related problems.

Marriage

In July 2008 Donna met Aaran Mansell and in February 2010 Donna and Aaran married at St Mary & All Saints church in Kidderminster where James's funeral had taken place a few years before.

Donnas Dream Campaign

Donnas Dream is a campaign for more people to sign the organ donor register in the UK. It is run by Aaran Mansell in memory of and inspired by Donna Mansell in order to raise the amount of donor organs available for

and ultimately Transplant

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansell, Donna Heart transplant recipients 1983 births 2010 deaths