Jack's Story

There are currently 199 children in the UK waiting for an organ transplant, 39 of those need a new heart. Jack Brotton was one of those children. You may recognise Jack from last year’s games in where he joined us to give out some medals. On the 18th February he joined our friends on ITV’s Lorraine alongside his mum and sister to talk about recovering from a heart transplant. His mum talks about how she ‘can’t believe’ he is well, and her sons health is the ‘ultimate gift’.

Jack, who is now 13, from Darlington was born with a congenital heart disease. He has been in and out of hospital all his life, with his condition worsening in the recent years to the point where he couldn’t even walk up the stairs. His appearance on Lorraine was the beginning for many people becoming aware of the seriousness of this disease for many children.

Shining further light on Jack and his story, CBBC produced a 30-minute documentary for the Bafta and Emmy award winning My Life Series called My Life My New Heart, which was broadcast at 5.30pm on the 18th February 2020. They captured the past four years of Jacks story, as he waited for a new heart from a donor at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Speaking about how grateful he is to his donor, Jack, who is from Darlington, said: “I just wanted to tell my story in a hope that it would help other people. I’m so grateful to the donor family, my family and all the hospital staff for all the support I have received.” (Sunderland Echo 2020)

All of us at the British Transplant Games are proud to have played a part in Jacks story. We take pride in giving children just like Jack a community to be a part of and allowing them to have fun again.

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