Man who had SIX heart attacks on honeymoon has become a father
ANDREW BRITTON who was diagnosed with myocarditis - a virus that attacks the heart - has welcomed a baby son
Andrew Britton in hospital after having a heart pump fitted
Andrew Britton was told a heart transplant was his only chance of survival after contracting a rare virus on honeymoon in the Maldives.
He was also told his heart medication would make fathering a child unlikely.
After a year in hospital, a donor heart was found for Andrew, 34, and, a month later, he and wife Lauren were told they were expecting a baby.
The couple, from Denham, Bucks, welcomed Frank Fabio on October 13.
Lauren, 33, said: “If you had told me in 2012 I would be here today with a healthy husband and a new baby boy, I would never have believed you.
“Watching Andrew fight for his life was the scariest experience of my life.
"Then waiting every day for a donor heart was very stressful.
“When we realised Andrew’s medication would make having a baby difficult, it was upsetting.
"We had begun talking about fertility treatments, so when I discovered I was pregnant, it was a surprise.”
Frank Fabio’s namesake is Fabio De Robertis, the “amazing” heart surgeon at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex.
Lauren said: “Everyone at Harefield has been amazing. We can’t thank them enough.”
Andrew fell ill within a few hours of arriving in the Maldives, the day after their wedding.
He was rushed to hospital, where his dangerously high heart rate was revealed.
Andrew and Lauren Britton with ‘miracle’ baby Frank Fabio, named after Andrew’s surgeon
I knew someone had to die for Andrew to have a heart
Lauren was told her husband would die within hours if he was not taken to a specialist hospital in Bangkok.
Andrew was on life-support for seven weeks until he was stable enough to be flown back from Thailand to Britain.
Diagnosed with myocarditis, a virus that attacks the heart, he was fitted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device, which helps the heart pump blood.
But his only chance of survival was a transplant.
Lauren said: “Every day, we wondered if it would be the day he would get his heart.
“One day, I thought, if I expect Andrew to get a heart, I need to give something, so I gave blood.
"That day, we got the call, the 13-hour operation was in the evening.
“It was so emotional. I knew someone had to die for Andrew to have a heart.”
A month later, he was discharged.
Despite their joy, there was sadness they would probably never be parents.
“When I got pregnant a month after Andrew came home, we could hardly believe it,” said Lauren.
Surgeon Dr De Robertis said: “It was a shock to learn they named the baby after me. Such an unexpected honour.
“My family have to put up with the many hours dedicated to my work, so I called my wife to share the moment with her and my children.”