Heart patient treasures Lomu letter

English-born New Zealander Craig Sweeney does not need much persuasion to show one of his prized possessions to visitors in the intensive care unit in an English hospital.

Shortly before he was wheeled into surgery last month at Harefield Hospital to be given a new heart, Mr Sweeney, 27, got a letter from Jonah Lomu.

Lomu, who has suffered kidney failure and had a kidney transplant, sent a letter of support to Mr Sweeney when he heard the North Shore rugby player was about to be given a new heart.

"Craig shows it to everybody who visits him. He is pretty proud of it. He was very, very pleased to get it," said his father, Sean Sweeney.

Craig Sweeney played rugby for East Coast Bays and had been given huge support from the club when news of the illness that led to his heart transplant reached New Zealand.

Sean Sweeney, who was born in South Africa, said that like his son he also supported Jonah Lomu's unon North Harbour - and anyone who played Auckland - although on the international circuit South Africa got his vote over the All Blacks.

Mr Sweeney said Craig left New Zealand on his OE and headed to Europe where he crewed a yacht through the Mediterranean and went snowboarding in the French Alps before returning to England when he fell ill.

Doctors diagnosed a failing heart and he had two pumps installed to keep his blood circulating and build up his strength as he waited for a donor heart.

The transplant was done on September 18 and Mr Sweeney said the new heart was functioning well and Craig was in good spirits.

The family did not know the donor but believe it was a large and fit young man.

"I don't particularly want to unless it is the family's wish or Craig's wish."

Sean Sweeney said he had always had his own organs on a donor list but it would be hard to choose the right words to thank the family of the donor.

"I would just say thank you very much," he said.

"At the time emotions run pretty high but later on in hindsight you can say you celebrate somebody's life and you thank them for the gift of someone else's life."

Sean Sweeney said he and his family arrived in New Zealand in 1987 but because Craig was English-born the cost of his operation was met by the British health system.

He said Craig had never shown signs of a bad heart and although doctors could not say what caused the heart to fail in a young, fit man, the family suspected his heart may have been damaged by a virus.

"He didn't show any signs of any problems with his heart. He has been very fit and active and played rugby.

"We believe he had a virus infection and it has possibly affected the heart muscles. They don't know."

Mr Sweeney said when Craig first returned to England he was very ill.

"The surgeon who operated initially and cleaned him up, got the clots out, filtered the blood and did the tests, said he had never seen anybody that bad in his life before. He was very surprised he had survived."

Craig was unconscious for more than a month after the artificial pumps were installed and when he regained consciousness he had some brain damage.

"He slowly came round and didn't really know where he was.

"His speech is affected but everything else seems to be okay. He can write things down when he can't make himself understood. His responses are pretty short and simple. It is improving all the time and he is getting therapy for that."

Mr Sweeney, who has had recent surgery for bowel cancer and has been having chemotherapy, has been unable to travel to England to see his son.

- NZPA