“Despite being born with cystic fibrosis, post-transplant Sammi was able to travel the world, get married and fulfil most of her dreams.
“Sammi had a deeply passionate nature that showed great compassion for people and animals, she would find great comfort to know that others will benefit from any donations in her name.”
Sammi was well-known throughout the county due to her photography business Sammi Sparke Family Photographer - where she would make clients’ dreams come to life through the lens.
But it was in 2002 that Sammi first came into the spotlight when she underwent a double lung transplant – saving her life – and leading to the most extraordinary adventures for the next 18 and so years.
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The number of people having heart transplants is set to double after experts pioneered a new technique for retrieving organs from donors.
Some 200 patients a year undergo the operation on the NHS, but hundreds more remain on waiting lists and about 20 die each year because of a shortage of available hearts.
Now medics at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge have developed a new heart in a box device that helps to keep the organs in better condition after they are retrieved from donors, which could double the number of annual transplants.
The number of people having heart transplants is set to double after experts pioneered a new technique for retrieving organs from donors