A TRANSPLANT patient holds her own heart in her hands after undergoing surgery to replace it with a healthy one.
The incredible image has made its way around the world after the woman's friend Kelsey uploaded it onto photo-sharing site Imgur.The mask-wearing patient, identified only as Penny, is seen smiling as she lifts her failed heart to the camera.
It is unclear where the women come from or were the surgery took place.
Kelsey posted: “[Penny] is holding her own heart. She has survived cancer and crippling heart failure and never lost hope.”
She added: "She's my hero."
She also revealed that while doctors let her hold her heart, the hospital's strict policy on transplants prevented her from taking it home.
Kelsey wrote: “She wanted to keep it but they wouldn’t let her! It had to be cremated but she kept the ashes.”
The risks associated with having a heart transplant have been reduced in recent years due to advancements in treatments.
Patients are required to stay in hospital for up to two weeks, however, recovery time normally takes months, depending on the health of the recipient.
Penny has to take immunosuppressants to stop her body rejecting the donated heart.
It is estimated that around one in ten people will die due to complications in the first year after surgery, with most deaths occurring in the first 30 days.
After this time the chances of survival improve dramatically.
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