Catherine's story

When Catherine was a teenager, she was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), suffering from a serious heart condition. Now, she and her family are helping to raise funds towards pioneering research into childhood cardiac conditions.

As many teenagers do, 15-year-old Catherine had started thinking about what she wanted to do with her future and the amazing opportunities she had in front of her. Then, one day, her heart unexpectedly went into failure.

Catherine told her family something was wrong when she noticed her heart was beating faster than normal. She was rushed to her local hospital in Jersey where she was immediately admitted to their intensive care unit. Two days later she was flown by air ambulance to GOSH.

Catherine says: "I was 15 years old and, up until then, had been living a completely normal active life. The wards were incredibly busy, but the staff at GOSH always tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible. I managed to go back home but my condition rapidly deteriorated, and during a procedure to insert a pacemaker I became very unwell.

"When I next woke up, a week later, I had undergone a heart transplant. While I was waiting for transplantation I was on a ventilator on the cardiac critical care unit. My family were with me the whole time and thankfully, a heart was donated. It's given me a new life. The generosity of the donor and their family cannot be described.”

In 2011, to celebrate her 21st birthday, Catherine and her family set up the Love Hearts appeal to raise funds towards a brand new cardiac critical care unit at GOSH. Along with some dedicated supporters, they were able to hit their target in just one year!

As well as taking part in the 3 Cities Cycle from London to Brussels via Amsterdam, the Love Hearts team have taken the plunge with skydives and hosted many fundraising barn dances in Jersey. Catherine’s family have also raised money through their "hospital bed push," where an enthusiastic group of appeal supporters pushed a hospital bed through the centre of St. Helier, Jersey, one summer's day in 2014.

After her recovery, Catherine went on to study Modern Languages at Durham University. It was there that she met author Bill Bryson and recruited him as a patron of the Love Hearts appeal.

Now graduated, Catherine's passion for GOSH has not wavered, and she has since taken up a Speech and Language therapy placement at the Institute of Children's Health, the hospital's research partner.