Nina’s Story

I’d like to try to raise £1000 for the Newcastle Hospitals Charity, and Cancer Research UK.Newcastle Hospitals Charity for the amazing care the Freeman gave Nina throughout her 19 year life, and Cancer Research UK for their work on lymphoma research.


On the 3rd April 2026, my beautiful daughter, Nina, died in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, leaving us devastated and heartbroken.


Nina was, and is, loved by many. Her close family of me, Max and her stepdad Richard, and her Auntie Sal, Uncle Steve, and cousins Rachel and James miss her more than words can say. 
She touched many lives, and since she died we have heard from so many people that Nina’s unique strength and resilience throughout her short life had a huge impact on them. 


Nina fell ill with dilated cardiomyopathy at 4 months, and was incredibly fortunate to be gifted a donor heart by an amazing family when she was only 6 months old. The teams at the Freeman Hospital looked after Nina all of her life, and it is safe to say she wouldn’t have had nearly 20 years of life and lots of happy memories if it wasn’t for the outstanding care of these brilliant people.


Nina fought off several infections in her younger years, often in hospital for months at a time. As she became older she became stronger, though life was always a constant round of medication, operations, and many medical appointments. 
Nina never complained, accepting and fighting everything that was thrown at her with grace. 
There were so many joyful and happy periods in Nina’s life, and there were a good extended period of years where she had no major hospital admissions.
We had lovely holidays, and day trips, and made the most of all the good times. 
She was a happy outgoing child with a big personality and a quietly determined, socially shy teenager who had a funny, quirky sense of humour, and loved drawing and music. 
Nina even attended Gateshead College independently for two years from age 16 to 18 and gained a qualification in Games Design.
There were times in recent years where Nina had emergency admissions, (a particularly memorable one on Xmas day 2024, due to heart failure), and then later that year spent 4 months going between Critical Care and the ward fighting off severe and chronic Norovirus, which she eventually managed to get rid of and spent a lovely Xmas 2025 at home.
 
In the last two years Nina was diagnosed with Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease, (PTLD), a rare complication of transplants, caused by immunosuppressant medications.
With a regime of chemo and radiotherapy she managed to fight it off the first time, only for it to come back a few months later. 
More chemo and radiotherapy regimes, and again she bounced back, amazing us all.
Last year, we found out by chance when she was in hospital with norovirus that the lyphoma had returned, this time in her lungs.
The brilliant medical teams put their heads together so many times to try to beat this horrible disease. Immunotherapy treatments, more radiotherapy and chemo, plans for Car T Cell therapy which didn’t happen as she wasn’t well enough…
Nina didn’t really know how very poorly she was in those last few weeks (though she did say cancer’s shit isn’t it..!) and things happened very quickly in those last few days.
Right up till the last, she fought so hard to be here with us.  Even in her induced coma state, she nodded her head to her brother, Max, visiting from London to let him know she was pleased he was there! 
Nina had a short and incredibly precious life, overflowing with love, a love that will never ever fade. 
We would be grateful for any amount you can donate, no matter how small to help these wonderful charities in honour of my darling girl.