Tapes of hope for heart girl

Abbey Cape is critically ill in Great Ormond Street

A nine-year-old girl who needs a heart transplant within a fortnight will be played tapes from schoolfriends to cheer her up.

Abbey Cape, from Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire, is seriously ill at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

She was diagnosed a few weeks ago with the heart infection cardiomyopathy.

Her heart is now functioning at 8% of its normal power and if a donor is not found soon she will die.

'Bright' girl

Her parents Marianne Cape and Darren Jackson have made a desperate plea for a donor to come forward.

Speaking from the hospital on Saturday, Abbey's 28-year-old mother said children at Snarestone Primary School had sent tapes of support for the stricken girl.

Abbey (left) is now at the top of the lists for a donor

She said: "We haven't listened to them yet, but we will play them to her later to cheer her up.

"She loved school and was so good, so bright."

Abbey's parents became worried five weeks ago when the youngster suddenly became weak and unable to hold down food.

After tests at Queen's Hospital in Burton upon Trent, she was sent to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

There she was diagnosed as suffering from severe cardiomyopathy and transferred to Great Ormond Street.

First in queue

Mr Jackson said on Friday: "She needs to have a transplant within the next two weeks because the machine can only keep her going for so long.

"It's a living nightmare that you just cannot imagine.

"Each day can bring some hope that we will get a donor."

Abbey is at the top of the UK and European lists for a donor.

Mr Jackson and Ms Cape are making a nationwide appeal to raise awareness of organ donation.

Mr Jackson said: "We felt that if somebody read or heard about Abbey's case it might get them to start carrying a donor card and letting loved ones know that should they die, they want their organs to be donated.

"It's an impossible situation to put anybody in, but we are in a desperate position."