'My little girl had a heart transplant three years ago. Now she's starting her first day at school'
Miracle youngster Beatrix Archbold has started her first day at school - three years after she was in a hospital bed waiting for a new heart.
Just look at ‘Princess Bea’ now as she excitedly gets ready for her momentous day as a new starter.
Another turn for Bea’s rollercoaster ride
Super-proud mum Cheryl Archbold, from Roker in Sunderland, - who starred in one of the first episodes of the Wearside Echoes podcast series - looked back on a rollercoaster time for her precious little girl who was less than two years old when she was rushed into hospital with an enlarged heart.
There was a 14-month wait for a new heart.
A year in hospital waiting for a new heart
Then came the day when everything was on the line.
It was the day when dad Terry and mum Cheryl got ‘the call’ to say a heart had been found and they waited to see if Beatrix would pull through it.
Her legs gave way as the reality took hold
‘As soon as I saw the number I knew what it was going to be,” said Cheryl.
She said she watched the team of experts run through a checklist and set off to collect the heart. That was when, she said, she felt her legs give way, thinking ‘this could be real’.
Hours later, she and Terry waited in a room to see if Beatrix had pulled through.
Cheryl emotionally recalled: “We waited in the parents room. The surgeon came in and there was just, there was just a smile on her face.”
‘On our worst days, the whole of the North East kept us going’
Weeks later, Beatrix was home and a whole new life began. Now, three years have passed and Beatrix, aged four, has started her first day at school.
Cheryl said: “This morning is such a big day for our little girl Beatrix. A very normal milestone for so many children but it is one that we celebrate all the more. On our worst days, the whole of the North East kept us going .
‘Today we are thinking of a special family who saved her’
“They pushed us, rallied us to believe this day would happen for us! And today is the day. Beatrix waas so happy and excited walking in. I can not wait for her to make friends and have all of the normal school experiences a child her age has.
“Today we are thinking of a special family who saved her. We are also thinking about the gratitude we have to the staff at the Freeman. They each played their role in the build up to Beatrix’s transplant They held us together as a family. And cared for Beatrix so well in her recovery.”
To find out more about organ donation, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 23 or use the NHS app.