Little girl's family say she has second chance after life-saving heart transplant

At-a-glance

Six-year-old Brie McCann has been given a second chance at life after a successful heart transplant following a long wait on the urgent transplant list.
Her mother Jodie told STV News the family feared they were running out of time before a donor was found.
Brie was flown from Glasgow to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where her recovery and visible physical transformation amazed her family.
Brie is recovering well, dancing, playing, and eager to return to school despite ongoing medication and immunosuppression.
The family paid tribute to hospital staff while also highlighting the need for better communication and support when care is shared across hospitals.

The family of six-year-old Brie McCann say she has been given a second chance at life after receiving a new heart in a life-saving transplant.

Her mother, Jodie McCann, told STV News that 2025 was the worst year of the family’s lives after suffering numerous setbacks while they waited for Brie to be placed on the urgent transplant list.

Brie was suffering from a rare heart condition called Ebstein’s anomaly and had spent months receiving treatment at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

The family feared they were running out of time. But they are now focused on the future and making happy memories together following Brie’s successful heart transplant.

“We are over the moon,” Jodie told STV News. “We are so thankful and grateful to her donor and for the fact that she got the transplant she needed. We were fighting for it all that time.

“There was a point when we thought it wasn’t going to happen and that we weren’t going to have her. To be going into 2026 with Brie, it is just the best feeling ever.”

Jodie added: “It was just hard to believe the way it happened. She got so bad and the donor offer came just at the right time.”

Brie, from Robroyston in Glasgow, had to be flown to London for surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital towards the end of last year.

Jodie said the moment her daughter woke up after the operation was unforgettable.

“She opened her eyes and she was just smiling, and I couldn’t believe it,” she told STV News. “I can’t even describe that feeling just to have her back. We hadn’t spoken to her in days when she was on these machines, as she was totally sedated.

“So to have her back and to see her eyes again and see her wee smile, you can’t put a price on that.”

Jodie also said the physical change in Brie was immediate.

“The transformation in her colouring was the first thing I noticed,” she said. “She has been blue and mottled since she was born, but as soon as she came out of surgery, she had wee rosy cheeks. I couldn’t believe it.

“She’s just incredible. I’m continually in awe. Honestly, she is my role model. She is doing amazing and it’s all down to this transplant.”

Brie is now recovering alongside her family.

Jodie said: “She has already asked to go back to school. She loves school, but that will be a while yet, and she has been able to FaceTime her friends.

“She is still immuno-suppressed and on 25 different medications every single day. That’s been a huge adjustment, but again she’s doing great.”

Jodie said Brie understood, in her own way, what was happening.

“She knew that her heart wasn’t working the way that it should,” said Jodie. “She knew eventually she would have to get some sort of surgery. We did tell her she might have a scar to help prepare her.

“When I asked her, ‘did you feel like you needed a new heart at the end?’ She said, ‘yes mummy because it was really hard’.

“She is up on her feet and dancing to her shows on the TV with her brother and playing games. She is doing everything at lightning speed as usual and I think she has thrived being in the house again.

“It is good to see her smile and laugh. I’m absolutely delighted to be here as a (family of) four again because at one point, I didn’t think that was going to happen. It just means so much more and it just puts everything into perspective.”

Jodie also paid tribute to the hospital staff in Glasgow who supported the family.

Brie was welcomed back to the ward after her transplant in London.

“I honestly can’t thank the nurses in Ward 1E in Glasgow enough,” she said.

“As much as I’m totally indebted to Great Ormond Street for finding the donor and the transplant team for getting us down there and having such a successful operation and recovery at their end, we spent months of our life living in Ward 1E and they’ve just become our family.

“When we came back, they had the big welcome home sign and a poem on her wall. They had put all her favourite things up. There were lots of tears of joy.”

Jodie said the experience highlighted areas where family support could be improved, particularly when care is shared across hospitals.

“There were a few times we had to fight to get things or push to get things. A lot of it was simple things like communication, especially once we were on the transplant list.

“I think the Glasgow team and the Great Ormond Street team could have also had clearer communications with each other. They’ve both admitted that.

“There are definitely lessons to be learned from this, but right now, we are looking forward and cherishing every single minute being together as a family of four.

“We are going to make lots and lots of fun memories.”

To sign up as an organ donor in Scotland, you can register online at www.organdonation.scot, use the NHS Organ Donation website or call the NHS Organ Donor Line at 0300 123 23 23, where you can record your decision to donate, opt out, or change existing preferences; it’s crucial to also tell your family, as Scotland operates a soft opt-out system.