Tragedy of Natalie, 14 (From Penarth Times)

Tragedy of Natalie, 14

TRAGEDY struck for a third time in a Penarth family when a 14-year-old St Cyres schoolgirl, who had a groundbreaking heart transplant at the age of 16 months, died of a heart attack.

Natalie Cole died at her home in Salop Street onMay 4.

In 1992, at just 16 months old, she became the youngest person in Britain to have a heart transplant.

Natalie's parents Mark and Deborah Cole, who divorced a year ago, lost two other children due to premature birth.

Their son Aaron died after 15 days in 1995, and Liam died seven days after birth in 1997.

In 1992 the Sun newspaper launched an appeal to find a donor for Natalie, who was in need of a heart transplant and was being kept alive by a life-support machine.

She was suffering from cardiomyopathy, where the muscular walls of the heart become stretched, dilated or stiffened. This causes the heart to become larger and the heart muscle weaker, making it unable to pump as well as it should.

In response to the appeal a woman in Manchester, who had just lost her 16-month-old daughter in a car accident, agreed to donate her daughter's organ to Natalie.

Tests were carried out and the heart, which was about the size of a golf ball, was found to be a perfect match.

The transplant was successfully carried out on July 27, 1992 at Harefield Hospital.

Natalie lived with her father Mark Cole, aged 38, of Salop Street.

He said: "This is a very traumatic time for the whole family but especially for Natalie's brother Mark, who is 18, and her sister Laura, who is 17.

"Natalie's death came as a great shock to us - even though we were aware that she would have a short life because of her condition.

"She was such a cheerful soul despite the hardship her condition caused her. She loved reading and drawing."

Natalie had to go into hospital once a month, and continued to make regular visits to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and Harefield Hospital.

She loved animals and had adopted a dolphin named Whiskey who is kept on a nature reserve in Aberdeen.

Hundreds of mourners attended her funeral last Thursday at the Holy Nativity Church in Penarth.