Kaylee has found love with a fellow-heart patient
|
A teenager who was the first baby in the UK to survive a heart transplant has returned from the transplant games with more than just a haul of medals.
Kaylee Davidson, of Houghton-le-Spring, who was five months old when she had the operation, has found love with a fellow-heart swap patient in Naples.
The 19-year-old who had the procedure in 1987, picked up three bronze medals.
She also struck gold with Craig O'Neill, 24, of Billingham, Teesside, and they are both now dating.
Miss Davidson had her operation at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital where Craig also had the same life-saving procedure in January 2005.
The two first met in Loughborough, Leicestershire, at an event in August 2005 but both admit to being too shy to approach one another.
Sign up
In June the two transplant athletes again met while competing with a British team in Naples and hit it off when Craig plucked up the courage to introduce himself.
Miss Davidson said: "Without donors Craig and I wouldn't be here, wouldn't have met each other and wouldn't be getting on with our lives.
"I came back from the opening ceremony in Naples and there he was. I thought he was gorgeous and thankfully he felt the same way about me.
"It's only been two weeks and we are taking things very slowly but I think there's something big between us."
National Transplant Week starts on 9 July and Transplant UK is urging people to sign up as donors.