Death of heart-op pal "terrible shock" (From Barry And District News)

Death of heart-op pal "terrible shock"

A BARRY man who had a heart transplant almost 20 years ago has paid tribute to Derrick Morris - Europe"s longest-surviving heart transplant patient who died on Saturday, six months after the 25th anniversary of his operation.

Edward Barree, aged 72, of Kathleen Street, had his heart transplant at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex on August 9, 1985, after suffering two massive heart attacks.

His surgeon was Professor Sir Magdi Yacoup - the same surgeon who had operated on Derrick Morris five years earlier.

Mr Barree said: "It was a terrible shock when I heard about Derrick"s death. I couldn"t believe it. I thought I must have misheard.

"He was a proper gentleman and a lovely man - always laughing and joking. He was someone who enjoyed life.

"When I first had my transplant, I was struggling a bit, but Derrick used to say "look at me - this is what you"re going to be like"."

He added: "I feel a little bit lost now. Derrick was like a figurehead. As long as he was alive everything was fine."

Mr Barree attributes his heart problems to working in stressful jobs - he used to be chief engineer for a well-know ship repair company.

His new heart was flown to Harefield Hospital from Belgium, but Mr Barree never knew the identity of the person who saved his life.

Three heart transplants were performed that night, but Mr Barree was the only patient who survived.

Three years after his heart transplant, Mr Barree was awarded a medal for finishing third in a swimming event at the Transplant Games in Cardiff.

He celebrates two birthdays each year, his real birthday on March 17 and his transplant birthday on August 9.

He said: "On my transplant birthday, we plan to go out for a meal, but it all depends on how I"m feeling."