Pembrokeshire girl, 10, dies waiting for lung transplant
Media playback is unsupported on your device
A 10-year-old girl on a waiting list for an emergency double lung transplant has died before a donor could be found.
Belle Curran had the rare condition Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), which meant she required a constant supply of oxygen and had to use a wheelchair.
Belle, from west Wales, was diagnosed aged two and had been on the Great Ormond Street transplant list for 18 months.
The Belle’s Story Facebook page confirmed she died on Friday.
A big Masterchef fan, Belle was taken behind the scenes at her favourite TV show Masterchef, visiting the studio in London and met presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode.
As well as making breathing difficult, the condition left her with scarred her lungs that were hard as opposed to being spongy.
Belle, from Wolf’s Castle near Haverfordwest, had won lots of bravery awards and inspired many groups and individuals to raise money for charity.
She was honoured as one of “Wales’ bravest youngsters” by Welsh TV channel S4C as a special someone who had “been through the hardest of times but have shown so much courage throughout their darkest days”.
Mum Stella said her daughter had “never complained about her health and remained extremely positive” as her condition worsened.
She and husband John helped set-up “Belle’s story” on social media to raise awareness of the “urgent need for organ donors”.
On her page earlier, they wrote: “Our brave Belle sadly lost her fight and passed away peacefully on the 5th April.
“Thank you all so much for your love, kindness and support.”
About The Author
