Help us sustain the work of the
Beauty Unseen charity:

Harefield Hospital is a remarkable hospital on the outskirts of London which saves a great many lives of very poorly patients like Kirstie.  It is a specialist lung and heart transplant hospital and it has attracted world class surgeons from all over the world to come to Harefield Hospital.  There are many stories like Kirstie’s, though hers is one of the most extra-ordinary.  Her bravery and determination shone through every day of her illness and despite her setbacks, with the help of outstanding medical skill and care, she is now leading a normal life – dedicating it to helping other people who need transplants.

Harefield has had a fascinating history, starting as a hospital in 1915 to treat Australian servicemen injured in the First World War.  Sir Alexander Fleming studied at Harefield, and it became a leading tuberculosis hospital.  In 1983, under the direction of Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, the first UK combined heart and lung transplant was performed.  1987 saw the first ‘domino’ procedure whereby a patient with cystic fibrosis (who had a healthy heart) underwent a heart-lung transplant while a second patient received the first patient’s heart.

Harefield Hospital is now one of the largest and most experienced centres in the world for lung and heart transplants.  Thanks to the charity, Harefield also pioneered the Organ Care System in the UK – this new ‘heart in a box’ system enables donated organs to be sourced from much further away and to be kept warm for many hours, so many more transplants can happen and with greater safety.