Christmas Appeal 2024

"One of the lovely things we would do when Lucy stayed longer, is to have a picnic in the ward day room. It was a little special moment we could have together. It made you feel like you were doing something special, just like other people were doing."
Matt, heart transplant patient

Can you imagine staying in a hospital waiting for a heart transplant?

Not knowing when or even if, you will return home to family life?

This is the reality for many of the patients that attend our hospital. And because Royal Papworth Hospital is the UK’s leading heart and lung transplant centre, patients travel from as far as Scotland and Cornwall to receive specialised treatment and surgery.

Being away from home and loved ones, and those creature comforts we take for granted, can be extremely lonely and isolating.

Thanks to the kindness of our supporters, our patient support fund brings families together by helping to pay for a room at Pemberton House – on-site accommodation for relatives of patients admitted to Royal Papworth Hospital. The room costs £65 a night.

Please donate and help us bring more families together this Christmas and in the future.

DONATE NOW

Matt & Lucy's Story

Matt (58) has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the muscular wall of his heart became thickened and made the heart muscle stiff. This made it harder for the heart to pump blood out of the heart and around the body.

It got to the stage where he could not walk without getting breathless and tired. On top of this his kidneys and liver were starting to fail. The only option was a heart transplant. In February, Consultant Cardiologist Stephen Pettit advised Matt he should be admitted to Royal Papworth Hospital to await a heart transplant.

Matt was made aware from the very start that due to his 6ft 2 inches height, rare blood type and high level of antibodies, there would be a rare chance of receiving a suitable heart transplant within a year.

Lucy, a mother of three, who works full-time, had so much going through her mind – notably ‘how would they manage for a year with the logistics and expense of travelling back and forth from Brighton to Cambridge to visit Matt?

"When he was admitted and I left him to return home, it felt like I was grieving for him. I didn’t know if he would ever come home again. I couldn’t get up out of bed for a week."

For nine months, Lucy would travel by train from Brighton to Cambridge every Saturday to spend the day with her husband. Though she cherished the time they had together, she would always be clock-watching and thinking about getting back to the train station.

Royal Papworth Charity was able to help alleviate the strain Lucy felt under by paying for her to stay at Pemberton House for a week.

Matt: "One of the lovely things we would do when Lucy stayed longer, is to have a picnic, with mocktails and my favourite food, in the ward day room. It was a little special moment we could have together. It made you feel like you were doing something special, just like other people were doing. "

Matt and Lucy’s situation has fortunately changed, as eight months into his stay at the hospital a suitable heart donor was found. He received a heart transplant and is now recovering at home with regular return visits for check-ups.

Lucy: "If I am perfectly honest, we didn’t think he would ever come home. It is amazing to think that we can plan Christmas together now. We feel incredibly lucky and grateful for the heart donor."

Please donate and help us bring more families together this Christmas and in the future.

DONATE NOW

"One of the lovely things we would do when Lucy stayed longer, is to have a picnic in the ward day room. It was a little special moment we could have together. It made you feel like you were doing something special, just like other people were doing." Matt, heart transplant patient

Can you imagine staying in a hospital waiting for a heart transplant?

Please donate and help us bring more families together this Christmas and in the future.

Matt & Lucy's Story

Please donate and help us bring more families together this Christmas and in the future.

"One of the lovely things we would do when Lucy stayed longer, is to have a picnic in the ward day room. It was a little special moment we could have together. It made you feel like you were doing something special, just like other people were doing."
Matt, heart transplant patient