'Christmas at GOSH was the best one yet': Meet Maya

When six-year-old Maya woke up on Christmas morning last year, she wasn’t at home. She was on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), waiting for a new heart.

But thanks to the incredible staff at the hospital, the support of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity), and the love of her family, it was still a Christmas filled with joy and hope.

Maya’s bedspace was decorated with tinsel, fairy lights and a mischievous Elf on the Shelf who got up to daily antics, like wrapping the Christmas tree in medical tape. “It was fun to have the naughty elf around,” Florina, Maya’s mum, says. “That was all because of the lovely nurses.”

Maya received more presents than she’d ever had before – dollies, makeup, painting sets, toys and even a special blanket. “She had the most amount of presents she ever had in her life,” Florina says. “It really was the best Christmas.”

Just months before she became ill, Maya was a lively, happy girl who loved running around during PE at school. She was already under GOSH’s care for a suspected neuromuscular condition, but there were no signs of heart problems.

Then, while on holiday in Romania to celebrate Florina’s birthday, Maya suddenly became unwell. She was pale, struggling to breathe, and complaining of tummy pain. After several days of tests at hospitals in Romania, doctors discovered her heart was only pumping at 20% capacity.

Later that month, Maya suffered a stroke that paralysed the right side of her body and affected her speech and ability to eat. “She had no movement in her legs or arms,” Florina recalls. “She couldn’t speak or eat. It was terrifying.”

Doctors in Bucharest told Florina that Maya needed a Berlin Heart, an external device, to help pump blood around her body while waiting for a heart transplant. Berlin heart surgery wasn’t available in Romania and is only offered at two centres in the UK.

When Maya’s condition worsened, she was placed in intensive care and intubated. “They told me we were at huge risk of losing her,” Florina says. “And we did – for 20 minutes. They had to resuscitate her.” From that moment, all hopes were set on GOSH to provide Maya with the care she needed.

Maya deteriorated quickly and was flown to London on a medical flight before being admitted to GOSH, where she was placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) – a form of life support – while doctors considered whether she could manage a Berlin Heart.

A few weeks later, Maya moved her right hand for the first time since her stroke. “She showed everyone, ‘look, I can do it,’” Florina says. That small movement gave everyone hope, and around a month after arriving at GOSH, Maya was fitted with a Berlin Heart.

She later underwent a tracheostomy to help her breathe more easily and began working with the physiotherapy and speech and language teams. “She’s special,” Florina says. “She’s gone through a lot, but she’s managed it.”

Despite everything, Maya's spirit never faded. She had always loved dressing up, and being at GOSH was no different, Florina says, recalling how each morning was an opportunity for a new dress, a fresh nail colour and a little makeup. "Doctors even started greeting her with a cheerful, 'good morning, princess!'"

Maya loved drawing and painting with the charity-funded Play team, singing with volunteers, and seeing the therapy dogs. She also enjoyed going to the GOSH school and made friends on Bear Ward. “She’s the biggest girl on the ward,” Florina says proudly. “She encourages the others – when one eats, the other child wants to eat.”

Florina stayed in free family accommodation provided by GOSH Charity, just across the road from the hospital. “I was so surprised when I was offered accommodation on the first night,” she says. “It meant I could be at the hospital in less than five minutes.”

That proximity made all the difference. “Sometimes the team would call me at 4am because Maya’s heart rate was high. Just talking to her helped calm her down. It would be a nightmare not to be there at the right time for your child.”

Ten months on from Romania, Maya came off the trachea and her feeding tube. She was walking, eating and breathing by herself – with the help of her Berlin Heart. “She was doing so well,” Florina says. “Even the doctors said it was a miracle.”

Being on a Berlin Heart is a waiting game – waiting for a donor who's compatible with the patient’s heart and size. “Maya kept asking, ‘When is it coming?’” Florina says. “She just wanted to go home.”

Luckily, the many teams at GOSH were able to provide complex care for Maya under one roof.

“I don't have enough words for the work of GOSH, I'm still speechless. We are here just because of all the support from different teams.”

With support from her physio, Gemma, Maya could take short trips to the park once a week. On one visit, she walked the whole way – but by the end, she was exhausted. When asked if she still wanted an ice cream, Maya didn’t hesitate: “She said, ‘Oh yes, I’m not tired anymore,’” Florina laughs. “For the ice cream, she made it happen.” A small moment, but one that perfectly captured Maya’s determination to keep going.

Throughout everything, Florina held onto hope. “The heart will come at the right time,” she would say – and in the summer of 2025, it did.

A matching donor heart was found, and Maya was discharged from GOSH after her transplant. She now returns weekly for check-ups, but this Christmas, she’ll be where she’s always wanted to be – at home.

Last Christmas, Maya was waiting for a new heart. This year, she’ll be home – but many seriously ill children will still be at GOSH. With your support, we can help make hospital feel like home for these young patients.

From festive decorations and fun activities delivered by the Play team to creative workshops run by GOSH Arts and free family accommodation just moments from the hospital – every detail helps families at GOSH feel closer, calmer and more cared for at some of the most difficult times.