Teenage Girl Wins Right To Refuse Transplant

A terminally ill teenage girl has won the right to die at home, after a hospital ended its bid to force her have a heart transplant against her wishes.

Hannah Jones, 13, has a hole in her heart - meaning it can only pump a fraction of its normal capacity. The damage was caused by a rare form of leukaemia, diagnosed when she was five.

Child protection officers used a court order to try and take the teenager, from Marden, near Hereford, from her family and force her to have the surgery.

Hannah had been warned previously that she only had six months to live, and the only potential long-term solution was a heart transplant.

A child protection officer interviewed Hannah, after the trust applied for a court order to enforce the transplant. She said she wanted to spend her remaining time at home with her family.

Speaking to The Mirror, Hannah said: "They explained everything to me but I didn't want to go through any more operations. I'd had enough of hospitals and wanted to come home."

The 13-year-old's father Andrew, 43, also told the newspaper he had received a phone call on Friday evening, warning him his daughter would be removed from the family by court order, unless they agreed to the transplant.

Mr Jones said: "Hannah must have done a good job of convincing them because after consulting lawyers they said on Monday no further action would be taken.

"My wife and I agreed that whatever Hannah wanted we would support her. Hannah knows she can change her mind at any time and go on the waiting list for a transplant."

Chief Executive of Hereford Primary Care Trust, Chris Bull, in a letter, told Hannah's parent's Andrew and Kirsty: "The PCT concluded that it was not appropriate to seek a court order to require you to permit Hannah to be admitted to hospital."

Hannah's heart can only pump 10% of its capacity, and she can only move around briefly before becoming short of breath.

(JM)