shareyourwishes posted at Instagram:

It’s approaching two years since Gavin received his ‘gift of life’, a heart transplant, after a short wait on the transplant list. He shares his story of how he has lived with heart problems all his life and is grateful to have the opportunity to welcome his first grandchild into the world.

“I was born with a hole in my heart and remember as a child going on day trips across the North West of England visiting various hospitals with my parents. Strangely I looked forward to having all the tests done because I knew as soon as they were over my parents would take for a treat like a knickerbocker glory in the Lewis’s department store in Liverpool.

I then grew up with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy which only really affected me taking part in any sports requiring significant stamina, such as long-distance running. As I got older, I was much more tuned in to my bodies limitations and when I needed to take a break. I continued to be monitored by various cardiologists on an annual basis, aware that my condition could deteriorate at any time.

In 2009 I was told I had developed dangerous arrhythmias and was fitted with the first of three internal defibrillators. I continued to work and volunteer in my spare time as youth worker, until 2019 when I developed a repetitive cough and started to become breathless. It was then that I was told that I had developed severe heart failure and need to start discussions about a heart transplant. The following year I had to take a medical retirement aged just 55.

Thanks to working with my clinical heart failure team and the support of being a Patient Educator with the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, my heart failure remained fairly stable, and my stamina improved to the point where I was able to walk a virtual marathon for charity and deliver voluntary gardening sessions in a local primary school.

Source: Instagram,
Account-Name: shareyourwishes

Created on: 2026-02-03 22:26:30