Father and daughter from Caerphilly receive heart transplants within weeks of each other

Jenna Williams and Kevin Silcox were on waiting lists for heart donors after finding out they both had cardiomyopathy. Credit: Media Wales

After waiting years to receive a heart transplant, a father and daughter finally got the chance at a new life within weeks of each other.Jenna Williams from Bargoed in Caerphilly was being kept alive by a machine for almost 18 months, while she was waiting a heart donor.

Last month, a donor became available to her, but it was the fifth time a potential match had been found.

Mr Silcox got a call that a heart had become available for him on July 3, just two weeks after his daughter underwent the same surgery. Credit: Media Wales

Ms Williams was first diagnosed with a genetic heart condition called cardiomyopathy.

Due to cardiomyopathy often having a genetic link, her entire family underwent screening and later discovered that her dad, Kevin Silcox, also had the same condition.

Mr Silcox's condition was not as severe as his daughter's but he was added to the non-urgent transplant list.He got a call that a heart had become available for him on July 3, just two weeks after his daughter underwent the same surgery on June 16.

Sister Kirsty Silcox, said the fact that there was just two-and-a-half weeks between the transplants "absolutely blew" their minds. Credit: Media Wales

The father had been waiting to get a new heart for almost five years.

Speaking on behalf of her father and sister, Kirsty Silcox said: "Doctors told them it was extremely unlikely he would get a heart on the non-urgent list.

"Two-and-a-half weeks between them absolutely blew our mind.

"Never was I expecting to be visiting critical care for six full weeks in a row."

She added: "All I can say is the staff up there have been absolutely outstanding. I can't thank them enough for showing the dignity, compassion, respect to the patients and to the families." Talking about the day when 39-year-old Ms Williams received the phone call to say a heart was available, her sister said: "This is the fifth phone call we had got saying that a heart was available, so we weren't as optimistic as we would have liked to be honest.

"But it actually went through and later in the evening at half past 10 we had the go ahead to say it was a suitable heart and there wasn't any defects."

She recalled what one of the doctors told her when her dad was visiting her sister.

She said: "The doctor said, 'one down, one to go' but never ever did we believe that was going to happen."Mr Silcox, 60, left the critical care on July 30 and is now making progress with his recovery.

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