'I never thought I would see my children grow up'

A 60-year-old man who said he never thought he would see his children grow up has celebrated 30 years since he had a heart transplant.

Mark Baker from Attleborough, Norfolk, was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy aged 18 and after having a pacemaker fitted received a new heart when he was 30.

The average adult in the UK lives for about 14 years following a heart transplant, according to the NHS.

The grandfather-of-four said: "You lose a big part of yourself, but you gain a big part as well - the gift of life."

After receiving a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Baker received treatment at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

"It was all pretty scary being a little country boy going to a big city," he said.

Ten years after having a procedure to improve the blood flow through his heart, Baker said he began to feel tired and out of breath and spent time at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after having a heart attack.

Two years later, he had another heart attack and went into heart failure and said some days he thought he would "never make it".

He was transferred to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and waited on the transplant list for a heart, which was his "only option".

When speaking to Chris Goreham on the BBC Radio Norfolk, he said: "There was no other choice really, they did everything they could to keep things going but it got to the point where it was failing and it needed to be done - it was my only option."

The first successful heart transplant in the UK was carried out by Sir Terence English at the Royal Papworth Hospital in 1979.

About 145 adult heart transplant were carried out in 2021/22 and up to 35 children and young people have the procedure every year, according to the NHS.

After he came out of intensive care, Baker said he felt a difference straight away.

He said: "It was a strange feeling to feel you heart beat and you could walk around and do things - I never looked back."

Thirty years on, he continues to go back to the Royal Papworth Hospital every six months for check-ups and assessments.

He said the procedure at the time felt "scary".

He added: "I had two young children, it was pretty scary to think I wouldn't see them grow up. Having the transplant has allowed me to see them grow up and have four grandchildren.

"You've got to have a good mindset as well, it's psychological. You lose a big part of yourself but you gain a big part as well - the gift of life.

"Without donors, a lot of people wouldn't be here today," he said.

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