New life overnight: Mid Canterbury boy gets new heart after year long wait

David Dirks is recovering in Starship Hospital after receiving a new heart. The Mid Canterbury boy has been waiting a year for his transplant. Photo / Supplied

A Mid Canterbury boy whose story touched the nation when his community coordinated a dance to raise money for his healthcare has finally received a new heart after a year-long wait.

David Dirks became a household name when the people of Methven including a national icon rallied to support him and his family as they waited for a life-saving heart transplant.

The 13-year-old Mount Hutt College student was born with a rare cardiac condition which significantly impacts his quality of life on a daily basis, often leading to minimal time at school, no sports and limited participation in social events with friends.

David needed a full heart transplant and was active on the New Zealand transplant waiting list.

While he waited, never knowing when or if a heart would come for him, Methven locals stepped up - literally - to help is family.

Methven local and long-time Kiwi musician and comedian Dame Lynda Topp and many in the community including police, fire fighters, St John paramedics, schools and businesses participated in Dance for David in April.

The video went viral and almost $50,000 was donated to the Dirks family through a Givealittle page.

Then, last week, the family got the call they had been waiting on for so long.

Becky Dirks told the Ashburton Guardian she got the call on Thursday night that a donor heart had been found.

By 6am on Friday the operation was completed, ending a wait of almost a year.

But now the road to recovery begins.

"To say it all felt a bit surreal would be an understatement," said Becky Dirks.

"We've dreamed about that moment for a long time, but when it actually happened I was in a bit of a state of shock for a while, I think.

"Then, when Sean (David's Dad) and Hunter (David's brother) arrived up in Auckland, I think it all hit me, so many emotions – joy, grief, pride, relief, determination – you name it."

In a twist of fate, David and Becky were already in Auckland's Starship Hospital when the news of the donor heart availability came through.

They'd been there for two weeks after the battery was replaced in David's pacemaker.

There had been complications following that procedure, but he was due to be transferred to Ronald McDonald House at the weekend.

A week after the operation David is progressing well - although there's still some major milestones ahead that the family were looking forward to reaching and achieving together.

"He's currently being weaned off a cocktail of drugs but has been 'awake' a few times so far with the hope to have him off the ventilator and the sleepy drugs soon," his mother said.

"He's doing so well, we're actually quite shocked."

The next process will be to remove the ventilator and get David breathing on his own again, as well as coming off dialysis to give his kidneys a break after being on a bypass.

Then it's onto the little steps.

"We'll begin with physio to get him walking and moving again, and then it's a case of learning to live with no immune system," Becky Dirks explained.

"At this stage, we could be here for a month, or we could be here for four.

"It's not really certain."

The Givealittle page is still open and can be found here.

You can watch Dance for David by clicking here.