Heart transplant for pupil in life-saving drama

A 12-year-old girl has had a heart transplant after a secretary saved her life when she collapsed at school in the Black Country.

She is the first youngster to receive a heart transplant at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

A secretary at Windsor High School kept Jasmine Page alive by giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation until an ambulance crew arrived and took her to the hospital's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

She went straight to the top of the transplant list because of her heart failure and was put into a medically-assisted coma, in which a machine pumps blood around the body.

Soon after, a donor heart became available and the hospital decided it was safer to carry out the operation in Birmingham, rather than transfer Jasmine to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. The cardiac team from Great Ormond Street travelled to Birmingham and carried out the transplant last week.

A hospital spokesman said: "This is the first time that a heart transplant has taken place at Birmingham Children's Hospital and only the third time Great Ormond Street have carried out a transplant at another hospital — the last one taking place over 10 years ago."

The spokesman added that the transplant was successful and the cardiac teams caring for Jasmine were "cautiously optimistic" about her chances.

Jasmine, who is the niece of Big Brother star and television presenter Alison Hammond, was three-and-a-half when she was diagnosed with a serious condition called Kawasaki Disease.

It caused giant aneurysms, a weakening of the walls of the arteries in the heart, and her family knew she would eventually need a transplant. But up until a year ago Jasmine was very active, attending tap and ballet lessons and enjoying school.

Her parents Andy and Saundra hope the youngster who is currently sedated, will wake up in the next couple of days. Mr Page said: "I think when she comes round and we tell her she's in Birmingham Children's Hospital, she's had a heart transplant, she's going to be surprised and elated."