A BRAVE mum from Oswaldtwistle has been told she needs to get sicker before she is placed on a transplant list for a new heart and liver.
Tammy Clark, 29, underwent a heart and liver swap 12 years ago and was told last month she may have to go through it all again because her body is rejecting the organs.
The mum-of-one, of Rhoden Road, Oswaldtwistle, was born with a congenital heart defect and it was discovered she had a one in-a-million blood condition which meant her blood had to be regularly cleaned of excess cholesterol on a special machine.
She had that treatment for years until doctors decided on a transplant.
After waiting just 10 months, a suitable donor was found and at the age of 17 she underwent the 12-hour lifesaving heart-and-liver swap at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital – the first operation of its kind to take place there.
Tammy, who works as a nurse at Bolton Hospital, is now awaiting news from doctors who will tell her whether both heart and liver will need to be replaced.
She said: "There is still no decision as to whether I need two transplants.
"While I need at least one transplant, I am not yet classified as sick enough to go on the actual list.
"I have to have weekly blood tests to monitor my liver function and just wait until it’s bad enough to go on the list.
"One of the tests showed a blockage in one of the arteries in my heart and now I need to have a stent inserted, which is just a minor procedure, before I’m fit enough to undergo any transplant."
