Parents’ joy as daughter, six, thrives at school three years after heart transplant

“Amazing”: Evie Doherty in family photos showing her progress after receiving her heart (le
Family handout
Ross Lydall @RossLydall13 September 2019

Seeing a child start a new school year is a special moment for every parent — but none more so than the mother and father of Evie Doherty.

The six-year-old last week started Year 2 at her primary school, three years on from being saved by a heart transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Her progress has been captured on camera by mum and dad Nicole and Paul Doherty. They shared the pictures with the Standard to show readers who donated to appeals to help fund Evie’s care, and to our 2015 Christmas campaign for GOSH, how well she is doing.

“It’s just amazing,” Mrs Doherty, 33, said. “When she was poorly, we never let ourselves dream about her going to school. The fact that she is there, is thriving and has got such lovely friends who look after her makes it even more special. The school has been really supportive too. She is such a wonderful little girl — she is so loving.”

Evie, who lives near Colchester with her parents, received a heart in 2016 after almost a year on the transplant list. She suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy in 2015 and was wired to an artificial “Berlin” heart to keep her alive.

She featured in our GOSH campaign, which raised £3.5 million for the hospital. In a separate appeal, Standard readers raised £16,000 to fund physiotherapy for Evie to help her walk and overcome a disability in her left arm caused by a series of strokes. She continues to receive private physiotherapy and returns to GOSH for regular check-ups.

At school, her classmates are on hand, and Mrs Doherty said they helped Evie to overcome her worries about returning after the summer holidays.

“Some of her little friends, they’re like ‘mini mums’. They really look after her,” Mrs Doherty said. “They’re there to support her and seem older than their years. It’s about parents grasping on to every change and every milestone and evidencing that with photographs.

“It’s about living in the moment and appreciating what you have. She continues to amaze us all and I hope it continues for many years to come.”

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