The girl with two holes in her heart

When Susan Gaffney, not yet a year old, was discovered to have a hole in her heart, her parents couldn't help but fear the worst for their baby daughter.

But thanks to open heart surgery – the first of its kind, Susan's family believe – and the blood transfusions she was given as part of her treatment, she has gone on to live a full and happy life, turning 70 in September 2024.

In fact, the heart-lung machine that was used to save Susan's life resides not in a hospital, but a museum.

In July 1959, Susan's parents were faced with a terrible scenario: their four-year-old daughter would die without heart surgery but, with her weighing just 10kg (22lbs), the surgery itself was a major risk.

Susan's earliest years were plagued by lethargy. She was constantly short of breath and couldn't play with her older brother, David. She was ill with pneumonia multiple times.

Susan was taken to the Fleming Memorial Hospital, Newcastle, where doctors found a hole in her heart. What they didn't find was a narrowing of the aorta, which caused Susan's chest to swell. Her parents were told to prepare to travel to London for further surgery to take place.

There, at Hammersmith Hospital, the problem worsened: doctors found a second hole in Susan's heart.

Surgeons would have to repair both in the same operation.

The operation, which required multiple units of donated blood, was successful.

The family believe it was the first to be carried out in the UK using the heart-lung machine, which supported her heart and lung functions during surgery.

Susan's condition once again worsened the following day when her lungs started to fill with blood, but once again the young girl fought back and started a weeks-long path to recovery.

She could at last run and play, and she returned home to the family house in Hebburn.

Susan became the 'poster child' of blood donation and her surgery made the papers. One article clipping calls the surgery a "miracle" that "ensured her healthy and happy future."

The last 65 years have indeed been healthy and happy for Susan. She's the mother to two sons and is co-owner of a marketing company. A recent ECG (electrocardiogram) showed the repair work all still intact.

Her brother, Michael was able to become a blood donor in 2021 after changes to eligibility rules were made. He says it's his way of giving thanks while helping people – people not unlike baby Susan.