Schoolgirl has heart transplant

Susan Farrell, a Dublin schoolgirl, has received a heart transplant

Susan Farrell, a Dublin schoolgirl, has received a heart transplant. The surgery took place in the Mater Hospital on Monday night. A spokesman for the hospital said yesterday that Ms Farrell (13) was in "excellent condition and doing very well". Mr Freddie Wood performed the operation.

Ms Farrell had been waiting for more than 10 days for the transplant at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. She suffers from cardiomyopathy, a condition which has weakened the muscles of her heart and is believed to have been caused by a virus seven years ago. She is a second-year pupil at Holy Faith College in Clontarf.