Ron hopes for new heart for birthday

9:35am Wednesday 30th April 2008

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THE Advertiser's donor card campaigner Ron Carter has been taken into hospital, but now all he can do is wait and hope.

Doctors at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridge are hoping to keep Ron, 59, of Helmsdale, Haydon Wick, in hospital until a donor becomes available and have put him on the urgent waiting list.

The Carter family, who were feeling positive about the developments, are now being left in limbo once again as doctors discuss sending Ron home to wait.

"I cannot 100 per cent be sure that that's not going to change - I'm going to go day by day," Ron said from his hospital bed.

"You build yourself up and I thought I'm not going until I've had the transplant."

Wife Jenny, 52, added: "It's not been easy to be honest - you watch the ups and downs and the roller coaster he's been on."

Ron was put on the transplant waiting list nine months ago after an irregular rhythm gave him an enlarged heart that could not function properly. At the time he was only given two years to live.

Ron and wife Jenny made the three-hour journey to Cambridge last Monday after Ron failed to completely recover from a chest infection after seven weeks.

But he has remained in good spirits while in hospital.

He said: "They said we think you should come prepared to stay for a fortnight - they said you will stay here until we find the heart for you so now we're just waiting for a heart.

"I'm in the right place with all the right equipment and I do not have to travel if they find a heart.

"Everything's absolutely perfect, I'm happy to sit here as long as it takes."

Ron is now anxiously hoping doctors will decide to keep him in hospital despite his improvement.

He has had the opportunity to see people in a similar position and how their lives have been transformed.

"You see people that have had heart transplants walking about as though they never had an illness so it's very heartening to see that and to talk to them," he said.

"They are saying I've got a second chance now' and they are the proper colour and it's nice to see to be honest.

"Some of them were saying they were really ill - I feel I'm a bit lucky - I don't feel desperately ill."

Now Ron and his family are hoping their wait will soon be over.

"They could ring me tonight, they could ring me in 10 minutes," he said. "I'm not going to sit here moaning about getting bored - that's a small price to pay as far as I'm concerned."

Ron is hoping to get the transplant so he can celebrate his 60th birthday in September.

He said: "It would be a lovely birthday present and if I get a heart transplant it will be a big celebration."

He remains an adamant supporter of the donor campaign.

"I want to let people know that what they did was worthwhile," he added.