'Our little princess' The little heart transplant miracle who is celebrating her fourth birthday

And her proud parents Terry and Cheryl, from Roker, have marked the occasion with a thank you to everyone who has made her life possible through a heart transplant.

‘We are extremely lucky to have her here with us’

‘Somehow, from moments where time stood still to the blink of an eye, Beatrix is four years old,” mum Cheryl said.

“We are extremely lucky to be able to have her here with us, to see her mark another birthday. There were certainly plenty of moments where it didn't seem possible.”

Look at these fantastic photos showing Beatrix celebrating her birthday in a wonderful princess outfit.

The four-year-old is doing well, said mum.

‘She has bounced back to full feistiness’

“Bea had a little bug at New Year but has bounced back to full feistiness.

“She has got an appointment at transplant clinic next week for her regular review. She is waiting for a scan (standard at this stage after transplant) to assess circulation and how her heart is growing with her.”

But it was all so different in 2022.

Beatrix needed a heart transplant after tests three years ago showed one side of her heart was enlarged and not functioning properly.

Saved by expert surgeons

She had an operation to fit a line into her body so she could receive medication but she had a cardiac arrest and was saved by expert surgeons at the Freeman Hospital who performed open heart surgery.

Then came a 14-month wait for a new heart.

The little girl lived in the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for a year and was attached to tubes which acted as her ventricles.

She finally got her new heart in 2023.

‘Thank you will never seem quite sufficient’

Dad Terry added: “Bea is here with us now because of selflessness, because of kindness and because of love.

“To everyone who played a part in enabling Bea to live, from Barbara the ward cleaner to the pilot of the jet that flew her heart to the UK, from Scarlett motivating her with music to the scientists in the blood labs to her surgical team.

“Thank you will never seem quite sufficient.”

To find out more about organ donation, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 23 or use the NHS app.