Child Receives Heart as Sister Remains on Wait List

2009-01-21 18:53:03 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Health & Fitness, News)

Sisters who share the same rare condition are both placed on transplant list, with one receiving heart several months later.

Wired PR News.com – A young girl in Texas received a new heart early this week, as her sister, who suffers from the same rare condition that warranted the need for a heart transplant continues to remain on the transplant list. As reported by the Associated Press, the sisters both suffer from cardiomyopathy, which affects the heart’s ability to pump properly.

Seven year-old Emily Smith was determined to be a higher priority for a transplant due to a larger number of symptoms related to her ailment, than her nine year-old sister Shayde. However, the nine year-old is said to be relieved and hopeful about her sister’s receipt of a new heart. The girls’ mother is quoted in the AP report as stating of Shayde, “She’s still nervous about it, but she said that now that Emily’s made it through, she knows she will.”

Cardiomyopathy is said to be diagnosed in less than one of every million children, with a 40 to 50 percent survival rate up to two years for those who do not receive heart transplants.