A Living Miracle — Over 40 Years with a Gifted Heart

“When Dr Chang first assessed me to see if I would be suitable for a heart transplant, they said ‘No’. Here I was, with all my organs in failure and on total life-support, punctured lungs and far from a good chance at survival. I’m indeed blessed that the St Vincent’s transplant team reconsidered, said ‘Yes’.”

— Fiona Coote

On 8 April 1984, Dr Chang and his team at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney gave Fiona a new heart. She was just fourteen years old — Australia’s youngest heart transplant recipient, and only the fourth person in the country to undergo the procedure.

Two years later, when her body began rejecting that first heart, Fiona faced the unimaginable again. On 30 January 1986, Dr Chang performed a second heart transplant — another act of extraordinary skill and determination that would give Fiona the life she lives today.

“Shortly after my transplant I was lying in my critical care bed, floating in and out of the Anaesthetic Haze. I was ventilated and therefore unable to speak. I could hear voices calling my name and when I came to, there were five people all peering down at me. The leader was particularly inquisitive — and I later knew him as Dr Chang.”

— Fiona Coote AM

APRIL 1984

A New Heart at Fourteen

Dr Victor Chang & his team perform Fiona’s first heart transplant at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. She becomes Australia’s youngest heart transplant recipient.

JANUARY 1986

A Second Chance at Life

When her body begins rejecting the first heart, Dr Chang & his team perform a second transplant — saving Fiona’s life once more.

1999

Member of the Order of Australia

Fiona is awarded the AM in recognition of her tireless advocacy for heart disease awareness and fundraising for seriously ill children.

2024

40 Years — Still Going Strong

Australia’s longest-surviving heart transplant recipient — and one of the longest-surviving in the world — marks the 40th anniversary of her first transplant.

Watch: Marking 40 Years Since Fiona’s Heart Transplant

Fiona Today

Today, more than 40 years after Dr Chang gave her a new heart, Fiona Coote is Australia’s longest-surviving heart transplant recipient and one of the longest-surviving in the world. She has devoted her life to raising awareness of heart disease especially in the area of transplantation.

A rose named “Fiona’s Wish” — a cherry-red hybrid tea with gold reverse — was created in her honour in 2001. It is a fitting tribute to a woman whose life itself is a testament to what becomes possible when extraordinary surgical skill meets unwavering determination.

Fiona serves as a Patron of the Victor Chang Foundation, supporting the Foundation’s mission of training the next generation of cardiac surgeons from Australia and across Asia — continuing the work of the man and his team, who gave her a second chance.

Help Us Continue Dr Chang’s Work

The Victor Chang Foundation was established by Dr Victor Chang himself in 1984 — the same year he saved Fiona’s life. Today, the Foundation continues his mission: training cardiac surgeons from Australia and across Asia, so that more families get the miracle Fiona’s family received.

It costs approximately $100,000 for a two-year Fellowship to support one surgical Fellow in this program. Every donation — large or small — brings us closer to training the next surgeon who will stand over a patient’s bed and say yes.

“Whatever you give, if you give freely and without conditions, it’ll come back to you two-fold.”

— Dr Victor Chang