By Joanne Rowe FARNWORTH girl Emma Standish has become the 130th child to undergo a heart transplant at the renowned Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon Tyne.

Since the hospital began paediatric transplants in 1985 they have carried out between six and 10 operations a year.

Before Emma, the most high profile was six-year-old Sally Slater, who, like most of the patients, has made a good recovery. But they have also operated on babies as young as five months.

It is one of only three hospitals in the country which specialise in heart and lung transplants in children -- the others being Great Ormand Street and Harefield Hospital. Until the transplant unit was set up in 1985 patients requiring transplants had to travel south for treatment.

Now patients from Ireland and Scotland, as well as the North of England, head to the Freeman for transplants.

The team of surgeons carry out up to 80 heart or lung transplants each year and despite the enormity of the operation the majority of them make a good recovery.

The hospital has two specialist paediatric transplant surgeons -- Asif Hasan, who carried out Emma's operation, and Leslie Hamilton.

Lynn Holt, the hospital's heart and lung transplant co-ordinator told the BEN that while Emma's family have had their wish granted and she has received a new heart, there are still three other desperately ill children on the list waiting for a suitable organ to become available. Out of all the adult patients on the waiting list for new hearts, shortage of donors means a quarter of them will die before a suitable match is found.

The outlook for people needing lungs is even worse, with only half of them making it to the operating theatre.

Emma's condition was today "critical, but stable".