A very generous donation of £2,725 was recently received from Suzanne (wife), Josie and Olivia (daughters) Carran raised in memory of their beloved Jamie Carran. The funds will be directed to support Ward B1 at the Adult Heart Unit at UHW who cared for Jamie all his life.
Jamie Carran was born with a congenital heart defect and other heart complications. He first underwent intensive heart surgery at the age of 5 when he had a shunt fitted to help assist his survival, and his parents were advised that his survival beyond teenage years would be unlikely.
Over the years Jamie underwent many heart procedures to try to help him lead a comfortable life but suffered setbacks along the way. It was eventually decided that a heart transplant was in fact the only option left but sadly it would not come without complications. In order for Jamie to be considered for the transplant he would need to be admitted to Newcastle Heart Unit to wait for a donor heart and liver as well now; as the liver was not strong enough to withstand the surgical procedures, Jamie took the decision to ask for a period of watchful waiting whilst he tried to complete a bucket list of things he wanted to achieve before being moved to the Newcastle Heart Unit.
When the pandemic begun in March 2020, Jamie went into isolation and all transplants were placed on hold. The likelihood of Jamie surviving long enough to get the transplant was very slim so he decided to spend what time he had left surrounded by his family.
Jamie passed away suddenly on April 14th, aged 49, at home where he always wanted to be.
Suzanne Carran, Jamie’s wife, said: “Throughout his early life Jamie never wanted to be treated any differently and even though things were obviously a struggle for him he never once gave in and that set the tone for his whole life really. He never moaned or complained about the hand he had been dealt he just got on with it.”
“Jamie and I met in 1990 when I was 16 and he was 18, and were married 5 years later. We were soon blessed with our first daughter Josie and we soon welcomed our second daughter Olivia. Both were born with small heart complications and although there was some thoughts that they may have been due to Jamie’s condition both Josie and Olivia outgrew theirs and now lead a healthy life.”
“Sadly because of COVID we were not able to spend as much of those precious last months with his family and once again in true Jamie style he never moaned or complained he just took every day as it was granted and tried to enjoy them as best we could.”
“Jamie truly was a fantastic person and my whole world.”