"Now I'm thriving": Woman from Cornwall opens up about heart transplant at 20
Eliza, who lives in Penzance, is supporting Organ Donation Week 2022
Last updated 27th Sep 2022
A young woman from Cornwall has described life before her vital heart transplant as lonely.
Eliza, who lives in Penzance, was born with cardiomyopathy - but was only diagnosed at age 12. Eight years later she received an organ from a donor.
Now 24, Eliza is supporting Organ Donation Week and reiterating the message to urge other potential donors to have conversations with their families about their wishes.
Eliza's Story
Eliza, who lives in Penzance, was born with cardiomyopathy which went undetected until she was 12.
In 2019, Eliza underwent a heart transplant at The Royal Papworth Hospital and now works as a transplant coach and runs her patient support podcast in her spare time.
Eliza said: "Even just being a teenager growing up - not being able to drink, do all the things other teenagers do, not being able to dance without fear of having heart palpitations... yeah, having a condition really affects your life".
Eliza added: "I looked healthy, I was very slim - all this on the outside so everyone thought my life must be great and I must be having a great time but inside my body was failing on me".
From the minute Eliza woke up in the ICU after her transplant, she said she felt like a new person: "I just had so much more energy, it felt like I'd had AA batteries put inside of me.
"For so long it was just me in my only little world, trying to take every day as it comes and just trying to get through the day but now I'm thriving and I'm living and I have opportunities and I have a future".
You can read more about Eliza's story and her support podcast on her Transplant Chats With Eliza website.
Organ Donation Week in Cornwall
The NHS says that in Cornwall, around 65 people are on the waiting list for organ transplants.
Rebecca Tolmon, Specialist Organ Donation Nurse at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, told us put simply, it "saves and transforms lives".
She said: "We're always going to talk to the family and friends of somebody who's in the very rare position of becoming an organ donor.
"We're going to do everything we can to, first of all, save that person's life when they arrive in the hospital. It's only after several days and quite a lot of time has elapsed that it becomes evident that we're not able to save that person's life that we're going to have a very honest and very open conversation with that person's family about what their wishes may be.
"If you've never had the conversation it might come as a shock to your family if we check the Organ Donor Register".
Landmarks in the Duchy are being 'lit up' pink to raise awareness, including Truro Cathedral on Tuesday 27th September.
You can read more about this year's Organ Donation Week on the NHS website.