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Milestone for Horsforth transplant tot
Gabrysia Filarowski's family are looking forward to her reaching the "terrible twos".
They won't mind if she throws toddler temper tantrums – they are simply so glad she is still here.
The Leeds transplant tot turns two on Sunday – a milestone which a year ago was unthinkable.
Last July she had her heart transplanted during an operation in Newcastle.
Despite battling the threat of rejection and a bug which led to her losing two kilograms in weight, she is back to being a bright, chatty tot.
Her mum Angela said: "All these normal things are just absolutely amazing for us.
"I love it – even the 'terrible twos' are good."
She added that, as always, they would be thinking of the family whose tragic loss meant Gabrysia's life was saved.
"We are so thankful to our donor family, without whom Gabrysia would not be here to celebrate her birthday," Angela, from Horsforth, said.
"Her first birthday we thought would be her only one.
"A year later she's gone through so much and she's still here, with no sign of giving up at all."
The youngster was born with the rare heart defect double inlet right ventricle.
Before her first birthday her parents were told she would need a transplant or she would die within 12 months.
A heart was found last July and she had the eight-hour op at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Afterwards, she started showing signs of rejecting the organ and so was treated with a drug never used on anyone so young.
That worked by killing her immune system, so she has been in isolation ever since.
The heart has been working well but in December she picked up a sickness bug which left her on a high dependency unit in Leeds General Infirmary.
Her mum said it was awful: "I thought on several occasions that she wasn't going to make her birthday."
But Gabrysia fought and was allowed home for Christmas, though still very poorly, and has taken weeks to recover.
Now Angela and husband Andrew are looking forward to celebrating Gabrysia's birthday with their two older children Thomas, 13, and Ania, 10.
Angela said they had a big party last year, worried it could be her last.
This time they are planning to make it very special.
"Christmas was a total washout because she was so poorly. Hopefully she will be fab for her birthday and it's going to be absolutely fantastic."
Gabrysia's family are urging everyone to sign up to the Organ Donor Register, to help others like her.
To register, visit: www.uktransplant.org.uk or ring 0300 123 23 23.
* For more on organ donation, visit: www.lltgl.org.uk
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Weather for Leeds
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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