Euan's a real high achiever 18 months after getting a new heart

Published on Monday 30 March 2009 09:57

IT WAS only a year-and-a-half ago that Euan Flannigan was on a life support machine following a heart transplant.

But fast-forward 18 months and the 16-year-old is flying down the Swiss Alps and looking ahead to his role in a high-profile sporting event.

The fourth-year pupil from Greenbank was forced to put his life on hold in 2007 when a rare virus caused his heart to fail.

The sports-mad George Watson's student feared he would never join in physical events again, especially when he then suffered a stroke while waiting for a new heart.

However, a remarkable recovery, which has involved hours of patience and determination, was sealed when he completed a skiing holiday last week put on by Tackers, a transplant charity for youngsters from across Europe.

It was something that barely more than a year ago he could never have dreamed of, but as it turns out it will not be the only focal point of his recovery this year.

He has also been signed up to compete in the Transplant Games later this year in Coventry, in an as-yet undetermined athletics event.

He said: "I'd never been skiing before and the whole trip was just amazing, a brilliant holiday.

"Everything has gone pretty slow (since the transplant] and I've still got a bit to do.

"When it happened I had to give up rugby and I'd really love to get playing that again."

Euan and his family were dealt a bolt from the blue when he discovered he had a heart murmur, which doctors had previously thought must be flu given his otherwise impeccable health record.

Medication failed to stop the failure of his heart, and he was eventually placed on a life support machine and shot straight to the top of the UK's waiting list for a heart transplant.

After an agonising wait – which allowed him little more than a month to live – a donor was found and the surgery took place in Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

"It was a terrible time, because in effect you are waiting for someone somewhere to die, so Euan could have their heart to live," said his mum Jan, a 42-year-old bank worker.

She added that the trip was a huge bonus for her son.

He has since also taken up cricket – he is a member of the school team– and plays football.

"That trip has really helped his confidence and was just a great experience and opportunity for him," Jan said.

"He's still not quite 100 per cent, but he can still become the person he was, doing the things he did."

Tackers founder Liz Schick said after the Alps trip: "I used to believe that you have a transplant and you're cured. I now realise that it is only the start of a lifelong battle to remain fit and well, with a daily medication cocktail to keep the organ healthy. Children face the toughest battle."