Brave Wigan dad on "long road to recovery" following heart transplant

Dave Hughes, 32, is currently in Newcastle Hospital surrounded by close family after undergoing the procedure on Friday.

The dad-of-one from Whelley has been in critical care following his surgery, losing a lot of blood after the procedure which left him needing several blood transfusions.

His partner, 24-year-old Louise Sedgwick, who is an active campaigner for organ donation said that Dave was “very poorly” over the weekend and that surgeons had prepared her for the worst.

On Saturday morning, the anxious young mum was told that Dave had taken a “bad turn” and would need to return to the operating theatre due to the excessive bleeding.

“He has had a bad turn,” she said at the time. “He is going down to theatre just after dinner as the bleeding isn’t stopping and all the transfusions they are giving him are just coming back out. He looks very poorly.”

However Dave, who is dad to 18-month-old George, has now reportedly began to make improvements over the past 24 hours.

“Things are looking like he is improving,” said Louise. “His heart has started to flicker and when I gave him George’s sheep which plays a lullaby, his heart moved more.

“He was squeezing my hand yesterday when I was talking to him.”

Dave, who suffers from a congenital heart defect, was told five years ago that he would only have five years to live without a transplant.

Since then, the family has encouraged members of the public to sign up to the organ donation register so that other families do not have to suffer the same agony they have.

Louise and Dave publicly back the Government’s debate to transform the organ donation system in England to “opt-out”.

In a turn in the family’s favour, MPs agreed to back “Max’s bill” on Friday meaning that English citizens will soon have to declare if they do not want to donate their organs.

Until this system is implemented, anyone wishing to sign up as a organ donor should visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk