I was stopped going through airport security with my old heart

By Ellen Coughlan For Mailonline

12:37 09 Jun 2024, updated 13:09 09 Jun 2024

A transplant patient has revealed how she was stopped by airport security – because she was taking her old heart through customs.

Jessica Manning, 30 – who underwent a double heart and liver transplant eight years ago – was moving house from New Zealand to Australia and had the organ in her hand baggage when she was stopped by officials.

She told how workers wanted to rule out any cross border health hazards, but let her continue on her journey after she revealed her story and past medical history.

Jessica said: ‘I was there for about an hour trying to get this dang heart through to Australia. I have it now though and it’s safe in my wardrobe.’

Jessica, originally from New Zealand, was born with six heart defects which led to her having multiple heart surgeries growing up.

Her first three open heart surgeries being at five-months, three-years and six-years-old. This eventually resulted in a full heart and liver transplant.

She said: ‘When I was 19, I went into heart failure. And then when I was 22, I was diagnosed with liver disease. The liver disease was due to a procedure I had when I was three-years-old.

‘In December 2016, I was assessed for heart and liver transplant, but because it had not been done in New Zealand or Australia on someone born with heart issues it took them a long time to decide whether it was something that they were willing to risk.

‘I ended up being put on the transplant list in April 2017 and I waited 16 months for my transplant.’

After her transplant, Jessica who works as a teacher decided to keep her heart, she explained: ‘In New Zealand due to the Maori culture they firmly believe that you should be returned to the body the way God created you so we do get the option of keeping our organs.

‘I’m not Maori, but I still think that the belief is really cool but I actually donated both my organs to medical research and science so that is why I don’t have my liver because it went to a university for studies about liver cirrhosis.’

However that wasn’t the last she’d see of her heart, she said: ‘About 10 months later, I received a call, stating they no longer needed my heart and asked if I wanted it back.

‘I said yes because I wanted to bury it on a property that meant something to me so maybe the first house I buy and then I wanted to plant a tree on top.’

Jessica has recently moved from New Zealand to Australia and that’s where she encountered problems with security.

She explained the encounter with airport security as they saw her heart in a bag: ‘He didn’t quite know what to do with it so he went to go talk to his boss and this is when my tears started because the guy was as nice as he could be and I understand he was just being very cautious.

‘His main issue was that I was bringing in a new disease to the country and he didn’t want me to bring in something that was a hazard to Australia.

‘But I’m pleased it was all cleared and I was allowed to continue on my journey, and I still my old heart with me.’