‘Looking at my own heart has been surreal’

A TRANSPLANT patient said yesterday that it was “surreal and emotional” to come face to face with her heart when she visited an exhibition where the organ is being displayed.

Jennifer Sutton, from Ringwood, Hampshire, said her first reaction was “yuk” when she viewed the organ that nearly killed her. But her revulsion quickly gave way to fascination when she visited the Wellcome Collection in central London where her old heart is on display.

“It was slightly surreal, but amazing at the same time, to see the object that had caused me so much pain and anguish,” she said.

The 23-year-old underwent an operation to replace her heart earlier this year after developing the condition restrictive cardiomyopathy in her teens.

Following the operation at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, she gave her heart to the Wellcome Collection to be included in the first exhibition in the new £30 million (€44m) public venue.

Her heart is being displayed as part of the temporary exhibition that explores the medical and cultural significance of the human organ.

“I was really curious and excited to see it but at the same time I am trying to love the heart I have,” she said.

“I have lost my feelings for the old one; it doesn’t matter to me any more. It’s weird to think that was part of me once upon a time.”

Ms Sutton began to notice she was becoming progressively unwell when she was about 18 years old and studying for a degree in Animal Science at Sparsholt College, Winchester.

“I was breathless and struggling to walk up hills. It got to the point where I couldn’t walk very far on the flat,” she said.

When she started having palpitations the decision was made to place her on the transfer list. A suitable donor was found within two months and the operation took place on June 4.

The exhibition brings together contemporary and historic artefacts to look at how human understanding of the heart has changed over time.