Middlesborough girl, four, has spent an entire year in hospital waiting for a "life-saving" heart transplant

A four-year old girl has spent the last year in hospital while waiting for a life-saving heart transplant.

Evie Green was admitted exactly over a year ago on February 15 after a virus left her breathless. The youngster was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy - heart muscle disease - at just four months old.

She was given medication but that stopped working after the illness at the start of 2023 and she underwent hospital treatment.

Doctors say Evie, from Middlesbrough, needs a heart transplant. She is on a list but a year on and she is still waiting. Medics have ruled that she cannot leave Freemans Hospital in Newcastle until she has had a new heart - leaving her and her family in limbo.

Mum Chloe Green, 28, said: "The journey so far has been full of ups and downs. It's been a total rollercoaster. The NHS quotes 88 days for an urgent heart - but this is very outdated.

"Whenever bugs or anything like that pops up it can be really stressful but so far so good, she fit and healthy at the moment. You forgot how serious it is due to how well Evie is but it can really go either way and that's the reality of it, it's either a heart or she doesn't live."

Evie was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in October 2019. But, apart from occasionally suffering breathlessness and urinary incontinence, she was able to recover. She then swabbed positive for a respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) in January 2023.

The infection causes symptoms similar to a cold, including a runny nose, a cough, and sometimes a fever. She went for a check-up - and doctors said it was serious.

Chloe, a mum-of-two, said: "Her dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosis was a shock to us. We were petrified at the thought of losing our daughter. But she's a fighter, and she responded well to the medication doctors gave her.

"We knew we had to be wary of her condition, and she was vulnerable to viruses and infections, but for three years she was completely fine. We went for a routine check-up and it showed the extreme stress her heart was under - the results were terrifying."

Evie was fitted with an emergency ventricular assist device (VAD) at Freemans Hospital in Newcastle. The machine assists the heart pump blood around the body.

Although the tot suffered a cardiac arrest mid operation, thankfully, surgeons were able to stabilise her. But she has remained in hospital since - including for her birthday and Christmas.

Chloe is currently on sick pay but, as that has nearly finished, she is unsure of whether to carry on with unpaid work or go back to work - which will mean she will not see Evie as much. She said: "We'll wait as long as it takes. We don't know when and if it will come as it needs to match Evie's heart.

"It's been a tough wait but as long as Evie's happy, I'm happy. It's still a long way to go but we just have to stay positive and hope that there will be a donor."