On June 23rd 2025, Elise, 20, came to Wythenshawe and within minutes experienced a cardiac arrest. She was quickly revived while being rushed to theatre for Bivad/echmo surgery where she had another larger cardiac arrest that caused her to flatline for 10 minutes.
Elise was then put under an induced coma, where doctors were unsure if she would be brain dead or suffer any long-term effects. When she finally woke a week later, she was told she was too weak to get onto the transplant list and would need to regain her and her organs strength.
After 3 weeks, of tirelessly working on her physio to learn to move, walk, breath, eat, talk again, she was finally able to get on the super urgent list.
24th July, Elise celebrated her 21st birthday while waiting for her heart transplant. Making the most of the day, her family planned a surprise party I'm the seminar room where she was able to make the most of the day - knowing that soon she would get her gift of life.
5th August, on her 4th offer, she finally received her gift of life. She was in a coma for another week and was instantly engaged in physio, eager to start her life again. In September, she was able to go back home.
Previous to her surgery, Elise had been in a wheelchair for 10 years and has begun intensive training to try things that she never got to do before. She is determined to use her new heart to enjoy this second chance of life that she has
My wish is to spread awareness on organ donation and that there is life after transplant. Before all of this, I had no clue what a transplant was, and now I'm a whole new person!