Amy Ferguson is 5 years old and completely rocking her third heart.
During her short little lifetime, she has endured two heart transplant surgeries, emerging from the experiences even more vibrant and adorable than before.
She happened to be in the midst of her first hospital stay at Great Ormond Street Hospital when she encountered photographer Duncan Raban. Raban was at the hospital photographing the nurses on staff. He hoped his photos would bring awareness to the amazing work they do every day.
Strolling the hospital’s corridors, he was stopped by Ferguson’s cute little voice, inquiring if he would take her photo as well.
Raban was immediately smitten with Ferguson. He quickly turned his focus toward snapping photos of her bright, shining smile.
Raban ended up becoming quite close with Ferguson and her parents, documenting the touching story of her entire medical journey.
Keep scrolling through our gallery to learn more about Ferguson’s journey toward wellness, and how she lit up Raban’s lens with her gorgeous smile along the way.
In August of 2008, photographer Duncan Raban was strolling through the cardiac wing of Great Ormond Street Hospital, snapping a series of photos of its staffed nurses, when he came across a delightful surprise.
Little Amy Ferguson, a 5-year-old patient, walked right up to him and said, “Hello, Mr. Photographer. Will you take my photo?”
Raban immediately started getting to know the cute little ginger-haired girl who’d crossed his path.
He quickly discovered that she was staying in the hospital, recovering from a heart-transplant surgery.
Inspired by this little girl’s tenacity and the pride with which she boasted on and on about her new heart, Raban knew he needed to turn his camera in her direction.
This cutie posed with her parents and nurses, keeping the whole room laughing for hours.
The two new friends switched off, each taking turns as the room's photographer — Raban taking pictures of Ferguson and vice versa.
Ferguson's infectious joy and wit kept Raban completely hooked on her story. He began getting to know her family and kept in touch over time.
While they had tons of fun together that afternoon, Ferguson actually wasn’t doing quite as well as she seemed.
Her body was, unfortunately, rejecting her new heart.
Thankfully, though, Ferguson was able to undergo a second transplant surgery in July of 2009, which seems to have gone much more successfully than the first.
Raban saw Ferguson and her family regularly after the second operation, documenting her miraculous recovery process.
Despite great odds stacked against her, Ferguson’s resilience coupled with the unwavering love of her family, friends, and medical staff helped see her through to the other side of this ordeal.
All the while, Raban remained quite close with the Ferguson family.
He kept tabs on Ferguson's recovery, watching as she regained her strength to start playing and laughing again.
He even picked the trio up from Heathrow Airport one morning to escort them to Ferguson’s biopsy checkup.
The minute this little lady spotted Raban at the airport, she ran toward him.
She grabbed his camera, and started snapping tons of photos of him, the airport, and her parents.
Now, Ferguson is back at school, third heart in tow.
This cutie is so full of love and light, truly embracing her third chance at life.
Five-year-old Amy Ferguson is using her third heart to continue living a joyful life with her friends and family.
What do you think of Ferguson’s story? Have you, or a loved one, ever survived a stressful medical procedure? Let us know your story in the comments.
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