A woman has spoken of her shock after coming face to face with the heart that almost killed her.
Transplant patient Jennifer Sutton visited the Wellcome Collection exhibition in London where the organ is being displayed.
The 23-year-old underwent an operation to replace her heart after developing the condition restrictive cardiomyopathy in her teens.
She said: "My initial reaction was 'Oh yuk!'
"But then I thought it was slightly surreal and amazing at the same time when I saw it in the flesh."
Ironically, the animal science graduate is used to dissecting hearts for her studies.
Examining the heart she was born with, she added: "The way the disease progresses, it should have been distended but it looked quite normal - if a little small."
Jennifer added: "I was really curious and excited to see it. But now I'm just concentrating on loving my new heart."
She said she plans to write to the family of the donor to thank them. "I'm indebted to them - I always will be."
The condition made her heart muscles stiffen, leaving her tired and making it difficult to breathe.
The disease eventually causes death and a transplant is the only cure.
The operation took place at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, which gave the organ to the Wellcome Collection to help increase public awareness about organ donation.
Looking to the future, Jennifer told how the operation had changed her life.
She said: "Before, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but now the world is my oyster."
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