US mum receives life-saving heart transplant - so she could spend Christmas with her new baby

A mum has penned an emotional letter to the organ donor who gave her 'the best gift ever' of a heart transplant just days before Christmas - to enable her to enjoy her first festivities with her new baby.

Nicolette Somers, 30, was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) - a rare form of congestive heart failure associated with pregnancy – in October 2020, three months after her son Beckett, now one, was born.

Although doctors initially hoped they’d be able to treat Nicolette for the condition, she was eventually told she would need a heart transplant – or she would risk missing her newborn son grow up.

She was told the wait for a new heart could take up to 11 months – but received a call just nine days later to say there was a donor heart ready for her.

Terrified but hopeful, Nicolette underwent the life-saving transplant on 20th December 2020, at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, US, before spending the next three weeks in recovery.

The mum-of-one missed her son’s first Christmas while in hospital but says that videos of him opening his presents and dressed in festive outfits gave her the strength she needed to get through it.

A year on from the life-changing surgery, Nicolette and husband Mark, 31, an electrician, are excited for their first proper Christmas as a family with little Beckett, and are going the extra mile to enjoy the festivities.

Nicolette does not know her donor's background but hopes to meet their family one day to say thank you. She has penned an open letter to her heart donor which reads: "Because of your selfless act to become an organ donor, you gave the greatest gift anyone could give.

"You gave me the gift of life. Because of you, I’m able to be in my son's life and I will always tell him about the complete stranger who gave his mummy a new heart and saved her life.

"I think about you daily and I hope I’m making you proud."

Nicolette, a full-time mum, from Detroit, Michigan, US, said: “Last Christmas I was given the ultimate gift - the gift of life.

“Without it, I wouldn’t be able to watch my son grow up. I will be forever grateful for the selfless act of my donor and their family.

“It’s so hard knowing that for me to live my life, someone else's had to end, but I am doing my best to make the most of the incredible opportunity they have given me.

“It really felt like my Christmas miracle.”

In July 2020, Nicolette gave birth to her first child Beckett, weighing HOW MANY lbs HOW MANY oz, after a smooth pregnancy.

For the first month everything seemed fine, but by September Nicolette started getting extremely breathless.

“It took every ounce of what I had just to get off the couch – I was completely drained,” she said.

“I just felt like my body was giving up on me.”

She decided to visit the doctor to find out what was wrong in October 2020.

Five days later, she was diagnosed with heart failure – and further tests revealed the cause was a condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM).

Doctors explained PPCM was heart failure brought on by pregnancy - although the exact trigger within the pregnancy is largely unknown.

“I remember the doctor saying that the last resort would be that I would need a heart transplant, but they didn’t see that happening,” Nicolette said.

“But my heart was too far gone to be saved with medication, so I was listed for a transplant – and nine days later got the call."

They’d estimated the wait-time for a new heart would be 11 months, so the call took Nicolette completely by surprise.

“I didn’t tell anyone at the time, not even my husband, but I knew deep down I didn’t have 11 months – I didn’t think I’d be here this Christmas,” Nicolette said.

“So, when I got the call, it was scary, but I knew it was supposed to happen. I knew that heart was meant for me.”

She had to get to Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, US, as quickly as she could on 19th December 2020, because the organ only lasts for a few hours, before being sent for surgery in the early hours of 20th December.

Much to the family's relief, the surgery went as planned and was a success.

Due to coronavirus, Nicolette wasn’t allowed any visitors – although husband Mark was able to make a brief visit for when she woke following surgery.

She remained in hospital for three weeks, during which time Beckett celebrated his first Christmas.

“I was really bummed I wasn’t there, I love Christmas,” Nicolette said.

“Mark sent me some videos of Beckett opening his presents which was very cute and made me so happy.

“There were a lot of firsts I missed out on – but I had to remind myself that getting better was the best thing I could do as a mum, despite how hard it was.”

The family celebrated Christmas together when Nicolette was discharged from hospital in mid-January, a moment she found ‘incredibly overwhelming’.

“I had a new chance at life and all I wanted to do was to enjoy every second of it,” she said.

“But it was so conflicting – I had this second chance but because I did it meant that some other family was suffering because they just lost a loved one.

“I didn’t like being congratulated for the new heart for that reason – it was very hard.”

She was worried that her baby boy wouldn’t recognise her as they’d been apart for so long, but when she was finally able to hold him, he gave a ‘massive grin’, and Nicolette knew everything was going to be OK.

Beckett will be Nicolette and Mark’s first and only child, as the transplant and necessary anti-rejection medication can cause birth defects.

“I’m so grateful that I’m here still and that I get to enjoy life and make memories with my son - but I’m still struggling with that a little bit,” she said.

Over the course of 2021, Nicolette has had countless biopsies and tests to examine her new heart for rejection but has had extremely positive results.

By April 2021, Nicolette said she finally felt as if she was ‘getting back to normal’, after weeks of chest pain, muscle tightness and general fatigue.

“After a year I feel fantastic – I don’t even think you’d be able to tell I had a heart transplant without seeing my scar,” Nicolette said.

As the transplant anniversary approaches, Nicolette says she can’t help but think that it’s also the one-year anniversary of her donor’s death.

She doesn’t know anything about her heart donor, except that they passed just hours before the heart was given to her and will be in a four-hour radius of her home in Detroit.

Nicolette has sent a letter to the donor’s family via a mediator, to thank them for their loved one's incredible sacrifice.

She hopes that they will respond when they feel comfortable, so that one day they can meet, and she can thank them face-to-face.

She has also penned an open letter to the donor themself, in an emotional tribute detailing just how much their choice means to her.

It reads:

“To my donor, whoever you may be, I just wanted you and your loved ones to know how eternally grateful I am. Because of your selfless act to become an organ donor, you gave the greatest gift anyone could give. You gave me the gift of life. Because of you, I’m able to be in my son's life and I will always tell him about the complete stranger who gave his mummy a new heart and saved her life. I think about you daily and I hope I’m making you proud. With this second chance, I’m doing my best to spread awareness about PPCM and organ donation. With this new heart, my goals are to give my son a wonderful life and to be an advocate for others. I’m hoping to get my story out there as much as I can and to help to save as many lives as I can. Thank you for this beautiful gift.”

The family are going ‘all out’ this Christmas and decorated their house at the beginning of November to get the ball rolling.

“I just can’t wait to wake up on Christmas morning with Beckett and be with him when he opens his presents," Nicolette said.

“I’ve bought him so much – I can’t help myself. I’ve gone way overboard.

“Last Christmas I was given the ultimate gift – I don’t think anyone will be able to top it this year.

“It really felt like my Christmas miracle.”