Chloe Beaney: Donor found for heart disease girl

A girl with a rare heart disease leaving her in urgent need of a transplant has found a donor.

Chloe Beaney, 14, from Cramlington, Northumberland was seriously ill with cardiomyopathy, which affects the heart's ability to pump blood.

She was top of the transplant list at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital and a UK-wide appeal was made this week.

A heart donor was found late on Thursday and the operation was successful, her parents said.

She told BBC News on Tuesday: "I just feel tired all the time and sick and sometimes like now I just feel really breathless."

At that point it was feared she may only survive days without a transplant.

The story was shared almost 7,400 times via BBC Look North's Facebook page.

Chloe was diagnosed with leukaemia and treated with chemotherapy at the age of two.

The strain of the treatment brought on cardiomyopathy, which she was diagnosed with at the age of 12 and has recently made her seriously ill.

The type she suffered from - restrictive cardiomyopathy - is a rare condition which normally affects adults.

Her cardiologist Dr Richard Kirk said she was in a stable condition following the successful operation.

In a statement released through the hospital, Chloe's parents said: "We are thrilled that our Chloe has been given the chance of life, thanks to the donor and the donor family.

"She was so poorly and we have been on ‎an emotional roller-coaster ride. We are thinking and praying for the the donor family."