A MOTHER from York who was given only weeks to live has told how a heart transplant saved her life – and has urged others to join the Organ Donor Register.

Single mum Wendy Lingham, 32, of Clifton, said she began making plans for her own funeral when doctors said they had 12 weeks to find a suitable heart donor, after hers began to fail due to a devastating condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

She had to prepare her son, Joshua, for the worst and was saying her goodbyes to her family, before a suitable heart was suddenly found and the transplant carried out.

Now, a year after the operation, Miss Lingham said she was able to play with her son again and she wants more people to sign up to the Organ Donor Register.

She said: “I was diagnosed at 23. It was brought on by the strain of my pregnancy. It was in the third trimester and I started getting breathless.

“The doctors assumed it was due to the pregnancy because I had no history of heart disease. But if it had gone undetected I would have died.

“I had to give birth by emergency Caesarean and I was diagnosed three days later.”

Miss Lingham said she spent the next eight years “in and out of hospital” due to the DCM. The disease eventually took its toll and in 2009 she ended up on life support after suffering a cardiac collapse.

It was then that she was put on the emergency transplant list at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, where doctors delivered the devastating news that they had only three months to find a new heart.

She said: “One was found three weeks later. I am so lucky because three people die every week while on the waiting list. I was even planning my own funeral at the time.

I was saying my goodbyes to family and it was heartbreaking going down to my son Joshua and saying I would be with him no matter what.”

The operation did not come without complications and Miss Lingham’s kidneys failed during the procedure, leaving her requiring dialysis in the days after.

“I have had to learn to walk again,” she said.

“It’s been hard, but I have a lot to be grateful for. My gratitude goes to my donor; because of a decision made during a time of grief and despair I now have a life – without them I wouldn’t be alive today. I can’t stress the importance of signing the Organ Donor Register.

“It’s definitely changed my life. I get to see my son and he gets to see me.”

Miss Lingham is now inviting people to take part in a fundraising sing-a-long in Parliament Street on Saturday, June 30. Forms will be available to sign up to the Organ Donor Register and money raised on the day will go to The Cardiomyopathy Association.

For more details go to www.cardiomyopathy.org or to sign up to the Organ Donor Register go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk or phone 0300 1232323 text SAVE to 84118.

THE Press ran the Lifesavers campaign in 2010, urging people to sign up for ther Organ Donor Register.

The campaign was prompted by the tragic death of Miss York finalist Emma Young, who died aged 22 while awaiting a lung transplant. The drive helped to increase awareness of organ donation and helped to increase sign-up rates in the region.