Mum Victoria Moore to wed on transplant anniversary

Dec 7 2009 by Helen Rae, The Journal

THIS time two years ago it looked as if Victoria Moore would never celebrate Christmas again.

She and her family were left grief-stricken when the mother-of-five was diagnosed with a deadly heart virus and told by doctors to say her goodbyes to loved ones.

But after surviving the odds stacked against her, the 34-year-old and her fiancee, Shane Summers, 39, are now excitedly looking forward to spending time together this Christmas with Victoria’s children from two previous relationships.

Speaking from their home in Hadston, in Northumberland, Victoria said: “I love Christmas and it will be so nice to be able to spend it with my family at home.

“Two years ago it was a very different story as I was in Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital and we had to celebrate Christmas in there.

“It’s upsetting to think there was a possibility I would never see another Christmas because I was so ill. But I wanted to fight on and be a mother to my children. I am taking it every day as it comes and I’m feeling a lot better.”

Victoria needed a heart transplant after she fell ill in September 2007. She started getting breathless and tests revealed she was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy – a virus had attacked her heart, causing it to enlarge.