Ellis Dawson was still young when his transplant story began. He led a busy life. Between working away as a product director in a software business and raising two daughters, he still found time to play football and cycle where he could.
It was whilst playing football, that the incident which would eventually mean Ellis needed a new heart took place.
“In January 2025, I was playing a match when I started to feel funny mid-game. I went in goal for 15 minutes or so to see if the feeling would clear up, but it got worse and I knew something more serious was up.
“I walked back to my car and it became clear I was in no fit state to drive. My chest was hurting and my left arm ached a lot, so I called my dad to pick me up. When I got home I spoke to my wife about it, in my head I knew they were heart attack symptoms but I always imagined a heart attack to feel like a much more serious emergency situation.
“I then started being sick and thought it was a panic attack so used calming breathing techniques and fell asleep on the floor. My wife found me and after reading up on the symptoms, feared I would be dead in the morning.
“She called 111 who said I needed an ambulance. I went to A&E at Royal Stoke University Hospital where I had an ECG, which confirmed I was having a heart attack. I was still walking around convinced nothing was wrong, but it definitely wasn’t the case.”
Two stents had to be inserted to open up my left anterior descending artery, which had become 95% blocked, plaque had broken away and the blockage caused a blood clot.
“We later learned that the artery is colloquially called ‘The widow-maker’ because blockages here are so often fatal in men. I always remember when I was moaning about not being able to run, one of my consultants said: ‘At the moment you just need to be grateful you’re alive and that you didn’t go into cardiac arrest!’ It really hit home for me how serious it was.”
Once Ellis’ stay was complete, an echocardiogram was conducted which showed his heart hadn’t healed. Six months later, a follow-up MRI found there had still not been an improvement in his heart and Ellis received the news he would need to meet the team at Wythenshawe Hospital’s Heart and Lung Transplant Centre.
“It was pretty wild getting that news. I had been warned at the start it may be a pathway I had to take, so it wasn’t too much of a shock as I’d already been on quite a journey by then.
“Because I was fit and healthy, albeit with a heart under significant stress, they were open to getting me on the list quickly. I still couldn’t run but was functioning in terms of basic life, I was still working and being a dad.
“Then I got the news that on my current meds, I’d have two years to live at best, which was a massive shock.
“By December I was struggling with breathing and walking as my heart wasn’t pumping enough fluid around. They wanted to take me in, the Wythenshawe team suggested I could come in and put me on the urgent transplant list, but I didn’t want to spend Christmas in hospital and I didn’t look so unwell – although they say that can be the case with people who have lived fitter lifestyles, you look better than you are.
“We made sure we had a good Christmas, we stayed in a house in Cornwall near to where I used to live and made it special, but I could barely pick my kids up and struggled so badly. There were a few occasions where I had my phone in my hand ready to call Wythenshawe Hospital to say I was coming in.
“When I did go into Wythenshawe Hospital in January, I went on an intravenous (IV) drip and dropped a lot of fluid immediately. The IV revitalised me and I was in a good space during my stay, I was on the hospital bike and exercising, it all felt promising even though I was having constant short ventricular tachycardia events – so my heart was really not happy.
“I was super lucky and a heart became available, I couldn’t believe my luck that I’d only been waiting two weeks as the wait is usually much, much longer. The feeling of excitement that it might happen was massive, I felt pretty amazing and focused for the next few days.
“I kept myself focused, continued exercising and mentally preparing, then I got the nod on the 31 January 2026 to say the donor heart was good and I had to prep for surgery. I shaved off all the hair on my torso and my wife came into the hospital, it got very emotional but before I knew it the procedure had begun and I awoke a day later.
“On my first day I was able to sit in a chair and I started eating pretty quickly. Two and a half weeks of progress later I was allowed home.
“My time at the Wythenshawe Heart and Lung Centre was nothing short of extraordinary. The transplant team and every member of staff go so far beyond their standard duties. Knowing that the NHS is the only provider of heart transplant care in the UK makes you realise just how exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable the team truly are.
“Every professional I met was an absolute specialist, but it was the human touch that meant the most. Having a wide network of nurses, consultants, physiotherapists and psychologists wrapped around my recovery made me feel incredibly safe. They made sure I was never alone and always had someone to talk to. Honestly, spending so much time in hospital actually became a comforting experience, simply because of the wonderful people caring for me.”
“Since leaving I have had to adapt, the biggest thing now is my immunosuppression, so I have to consciously be aware of what I do day to day. I try to avoid public transport, supermarkets, any kind of busy enclosed spaces where I can, but for the most part I am back to a normal life.
“Fatigue is a bit of a battle at the moment, I have to manage my energy properly across every day which can be tough to balance with work.
“It’s the same with my kids, they certainly don’t slow down for me! Although I have been glad to have them on my own as my wife really needed a break – she has done so much to manage the family when I was ill.
“She deserves a massive shout-out, I got the easy job of staying in hospital and doing what the medical team told me while she did everything. Having her by my side was the other huge comfort and motivator to make sure I could be there by her side long into the future.
“It’s been a tremendous recovery and the new heart genuinely felt like a quick fix, my chest hurt for the first few weeks from being cut open, but I’m otherwise fine.”
Dr Steve Shaw, Consultant Cardiologist at Wythenshawe Hospital, has been close to the care Ellis received and said:
“When I first saw Ellis it was clear from his heart scans and blood work that his future prognosis was poor. I recall having those difficult conversations with him and his wife, and then bringing up the subject of transplant.
“He took it all really well, and after a thorough assessment he was added to the transplant waiting list within the month. However, his condition was declining and I have to admit that I was beginning to worry about him.
“His circulation was so poor, he was taking hot baths just to try and get warm. I spoke to him about coming into hospital, but he naturally wanted to try and see out Christmas at home with his young family.
“When I then saw him in the New Year, he looked truly awful. He couldn’t even sleep at night due to how breathless he was. I admitted him to our transplant unit and started him on continuous IV infusions of medication that temporarily increase the circulation and drive off excess fluid.
“We then changed his transplant listing status to urgent, as it was clear the time window for achieving a transplant was narrowing. We were then really fortunate to find a good donor heart for him after only a couple of weeks.
“Thanks to the skills of our brilliant surgeons and anaesthetists, his operation went smoothly and his new heart rescued the whole situation. All the staff here have been delighted to see Ellis make a superb recovery to current date.
“Throughout his whole journey, he has been courageous, a true gentleman and fully engaged with everything we’ve asked of him. In many respects, he has been the perfect heart transplant patient to care for.”
Ellis now plans to join some of his transplant peers from Wythenshawe Hospital and enter this year’s Transplant Games in the football category, something he said will be very emotional as the last match he played was the one during which he had his heart attack.
“I feel incredibly positive about the future. You would think I would be making wild and crazy plans, but honestly, having my everyday routine back is the greatest feeling.
“When you have been on the cusp of losing it all, you just want your normal life back. My biggest priority now is to stay as fit and healthy as I can to truly honour the gift I have received.
“Whether that is getting back out on the mountain bike or just enjoying a quiet tour in the caravan, I am determined to spend more quality time with the girls, friends, family and simply value the everyday life we have.
“It is impossible to express the depth of gratitude I feel towards my donor’s family for giving me the ultimate gift: the chance to watch my two little girls grow up.
“Every day is a bonus when you have had a heart transplant.”
You can find out more about registering as an Organ Donor here: https://register.organdonation.nhs.uk/start/ or call 0300 123 23 23. For advice on how to discuss your decision with your family and loved ones please visit https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/about-organ-donation/talk-to-your-loved-ones/