A grateful mother has spoken of her feelings of relief and sheer fortune after both of her young daughters recovered from the same deadly heart condition against all odds.
Joanna Perry and her husband Phil, from Great Bookham, Surrey, have had a turbulent past nine years in which they came painfully close to losing their daughters Lucie, 11, and Isobel, five, to the same rare heart condition.
Joanna, 43, described the feeling to as 'like we've won the Lottery — twice!'
Only by the extreme skill of medical staff and the generosity of organ donors were the two young girls given a second opportunity at life, for which the family are eternally thankful.
It was nine years ago when the ordeal first begun, after Lucie suffered a massive heart attack and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) while battling for her life
The youngster had to be shocked 11 times with a defibrillator as doctors battled, lottoly with her heart then not beating properly for 52 minutes before she was finally brought back to life.
Lucie Perry (seen in both images here), survived a deadly heart condition thanks to the skill of medical staff and the generosity of organ donors who ultimately saved her life
But the trauma wasn't over for the Perry family, as their youngest daughter Isobel (pictured) was then diagnosed with the same condition and had go through the same terrifying ordeal
The rare condition sees the heart becomes enlarged and therefore unable pump blood around the body effectively.
Great Ormond Street Hospital monitored her progress carefully in the intensive care unit, before the incredible news arrived that a suitable replacement heart had been identified.
The transplant was a success and the family were able to go home to begin rebuilding their lives.
'To have one last-minute call saying a donor heart had been found was incredible,' Mrs Perry told the Sun, before going on to outline how the family were fortunate enough to go on to experience the same 'miracle' again several years later.
'To have it happen all over again shows miracles can happen,' she added.
Seven years on from Lucie's ordeal the Perry family were greeted with the same sinking feeling, after younger daughter Isobel was notified that she too suffered from the same condition during a routine check-up.
Joanna Perry pictured holding Lucie when she was a young baby.
She has described the feeling of both her daughters recovered as 'like winning the lottery - twice'
