‘Another stroke or further infection could be fatal’

THE family of Kiva Humphries, 16, from Deansgrange, Co Dublin, yesterday issued a fresh appeal for help in finding a donor as the risk of her catching a fatal infection increases on a daily basis.

Kiva, a pupil at Loreto Convent Foxrock, has been a patient at the Mater Hospital in Dublin since last February when she was struck down by an infection which caused severe, permanent damage to her heart muscles.

“It seemed like just some breathlessness or a bad flu at first but it soon became apparent that it was more complicated as Kiva had difficulty walking up the hill to her school,” recalls her mother Avril.

Kiva had enjoyed perfect good health up to that point and the speed of her deterioration shocked her family. In April, the teenager had part of her heart removed, which means a heart transplant is now her only hope of resuming a normal life.

Since the dangerous surgery, she has been kept alive by a mechanical heart known as a VAD or ventricular assist device. She has been on the machine for 266 days. The longest time a person has survived on a VAD in Ireland is 310 days.

Avril said her daughter has suffered two strokes, which has affected her speech and left her right-hand side paralysed.

“She is only able to communicate through making gestures with her hands and face at the moment,” said Avril. “We have been warned that another stroke or further infection could be fatal.”

Kiva has been on a priority list for a heart transplant since last July, but no suitable donor has yet been found.

However, Kiva has remained highly positive, which her parents have attributed to the marvellous support she has received from her friends, relatives and teachers.

“Her form is wonderful. She has her off days but they are few and far between. She’s just a brilliant teenager,” said her proud parents.