Hollies living 400 miles apart are best friends after transplants

Two schoolgirls called Hollie who had double lung transplants in the same week have become best friends after meeting in hospital.

Hollie M, 13, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, had been on the waiting list for three years while Hollie B, 12, from Bangor, County Down, was on the urgent transplant list for just 24 hours.

They say their friendship means so much because they "get everything" they have both been through.

The procedures took place at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, London, in 2023.

Both Hollies had serious health conditions which affected their everyday lives.

Hollie B underwent her double lung transplant first, followed by Hollie M, who had a heart transplant at the same time.

"She wrote me a note. It said, 'PS wanna be friends'," remembers Hollie M, with a smile.

"She was worried about a procedure and I was telling her she didn't need to worried about it," said Hollie B.

The two girls message daily, meet regularly at hospital for clinics, and arrange to see each other socially.

For the past two years, their families have celebrated the anniversary of their transplants together.

"The stars aligned... we'll be friends for life," said Andrea, Hollie M's mum.

Marion, Hollie B's mother, added: "There's something really special about having friends that have been through those same things."

The girls' parents say the friendship has also helped them to cope in the months and years following their daughters' operations.

"In the same way that Hollie B gets Hollie, Marion and Gary completely understand what Bazz and I have been through. We all just click," said Andrea.

Dr Rossa Brugha, consultant respiratory paediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said the friendship was "quite rare" as only about six paediatric lung transplants were carried out each year.

"I think it's fantastic that both these girls have made such a good recovery and that they appear to be really good friends for life," he said.

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