Join the donor scheme to save babies like our Sarah

THE parents of Britain's youngest surviving heart transplant patient today spoke for the first time about the operation that saved their baby daughter's life.

Sarah Cox was just 23 days old and on the brink of death when a donor heart was found from abroad.

Now a healthy two-year-old, Sarah is the youngest child to have had a heart transplant in Britain and survived.

Her parents Jennie and Nigel Cox, from Welwyn in Hertfordshire, today broke their silence to urge others to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

They have also called for more debate on British rules which prevent donor organs being taken from children under two months.

The practice is allowed in the US, Canada and many European countries. This allowed Sarah to receive the heart which saved her life. Sarah was born healthy but her heart was damaged when she contracted viral meningitis aged six days.

Fifteen days later, she was so ill that her parents were told to say goodbye as she was only expected to survive for 24 to 48 hours.

Mrs Cox said: "We couldn't believe what we were being told, that a little baby who had been so healthy only three weeks before was about to die." But out of the blue came the call that offered a donor heart to surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Mrs Cox added: "We knew she might not survive the operation or she might not survive for very long but we knew straight away it was a decision we had to make."

The operation was a success and Sarah was soon out of intensive care. The tubes and wires were removed one by one and the number of drugs was gradually reduced.

Now the couple say Sarah is like any other lively two-year-old, except her daily routine includes medicine in the morning and at night.

The couple have never spoken publicly about Sarah's transplant but today appealed for more people to join the donor register.

Although 90 per cent of people told a UK Transplant survey they were in favour of organ donation in principle, only 26 per cent have joined the register. Mrs Cox said: "I would just encourage people to give it some thought - if they feel it's something they would like to do, and about what they would do if tragedy hit one of their children. Something amazing can come out of that tragedy."

Current UK guidelines prohibit donor organs being taken from children aged under two months.

The heart which saved Sarah's life was donated from a child donor elsewhere in Europe where the rules are different.

Mrs Cox said: "We'd like a debate about whether the rules should be changed here but we are in no position to say if it's right or wrong."

Since April last year, 108 people have received heart transplants, including 28 children aged under 18.

Almost 8,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in Britain, including 158 children who are under the age of 18.