Royal Papworth Charity has received its largest donation from an individual in its 30-year history – a gift of £453,611.60, generously provided by British-born philanthropist Wendy J. Tomlin-Hess.
This extraordinary act of philanthropy from Wendy, who now lives in the United States, will accelerate groundbreaking research and innovation in heart transplantation here at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Wendy Tomlin-Hess
Wendy’s donation is a thank you to Royal Papworth for saving her brother Terry’s life through a pioneering type of heart transplant in 2015.
Terry from Melton Mowbary, was among the first in Europe to receive a heart transplant using a non-beating heart, known as donation after circulatory death (DCD).
Royal Papworth became the first hospital in Europe to perform a heart transplant using this method – before this, donor hearts had only been available from people who died a brain-stem death (DBD), but whose hearts were still beating.
The DCD technique now represents 25% of all adult heart transplants in the UK. Royal Papworth teams have now performed 147 DCD heart transplants, the highest number of any UK centre and one of the highest in the world.
Terry and Wendy
Reflecting on her family’s experience, Wendy said: “We are extremely grateful to Terry's heart donor and their family, who gave him a gift we could never repay – the gift of life. I am now very happy to be in a position where I can truly thank Royal Papworth with a donation that will help to save many, many more lives.”
Wendy’s donation will support three transformative projects:
1. Improving donor heart assessment
Dr Nicole Asemota, a resident doctor in cardiothoracic surgery, is collaborating with the University of Cambridge Department of Surgery and the Institute of Metabolic Science, under the supervision of Mr Stephen Large, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Royal Papworth Hospital and Professor Michael Nicholson.
Alongside Dr Richard Kay, Dr Albert Koulman, Dr Ben Jenkins, and Dr Paulina Guevara Dominguez, the team is working to identify non-invasive biomarkers to assess donor heart viability - uniting biochemical expertise with clinical innovation.
Dr Nicole Asemota said: “In the UK, there are around 300 people in need of a heart transplant at any given time, but approximately only 200 heart transplants are performed each year. If successful, this research could lead to a 20% increase in heart transplants across the UK - and bring new life to patients waiting for a second chance.”
2. Extending preservation times for donor hearts
Under the leadership of Dr John Louca, and supervised by Professor Sanjay Sinha, University of Cambridge and Mr Stephen Large, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Royal Papworth Hospital, this project aims to extend the preservation time of donor hearts from six hours to six days using advanced perfusion (blood flow and oxygen) and metabolic techniques.
Dr John Louca said: “This work not only expands the donor pool but also strengthens the global potential of transplantation science. Beyond transplantation, extended preservation times have far-reaching implications for drug discovery. Extending preservation times will create a transformative research model for testing new drugs on those diseased hearts that are removed during transplant surgery.”
3. Affordable perfusion technology
The Morgan device is a cost-effective heart perfusion machine designed for both adults and children. This innovation could reduce NHS expenditure on expensive perfusion systems and enable paediatric heart transplantation. Clinical trials will be supported by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Part of Wendy’s gift will also strengthen Royal Papworth’s Clinical Research Facility at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, enabling the appointment of a dedicated medical officer to accelerate early-phase trials and bring life-saving therapies to patients faster.
The donation via the charitable giving platform, DAFgiving360, includes a contribution from Wendy’s late husband Robert Hess.
Wendy with her late husband, Robert Hess
Robert’s passion for philanthropy began after the tragic premature death of his son Christopher in 1973, which inspired decades of research to prevent similar heartbreak for other families.
Wendy says that he would be extremely proud to be supporting Royal Papworth Hospital with this donation and added: “Robert cared very much for my brother Terry and promised him that, after his surgery, when he was well enough to travel, Robert would treat him to a fishing trip in Alaska.
Terry healed well and in July 2017 he travelled to California, then to Alaska for wonderful week with Robert fishing for King Salmon. They both brought back 50lbs of fresh filleted King Salmon, with their largest catch being 35-40Ibs!”
Krystyna Grant is Managing Director of Royal Papworth Charity
Krystyna Grant, Managing Director, Royal Papworth Charity, said: “We are overwhelmed by Wendy’s generosity and the potential of this gift to transform lives across the globe. Through Wendy’s support, Royal Papworth will continue to lead innovation in heart care and support, ensuring more patients receive the gift of life. This is a story of vision and compassion inspiring progress across our nation’s healthcare system.”