Star pupil: Jack defies the odds as he starts first day of school despite being on list for heart transplant

The motto of Jack Sneddon’s new primary school is: “We are children on a mission and we are reaching for the stars”.

And as the beaming five-year-old started his first day at Our Lady of the Missions, near Glasgow, on Wednesday the sentiment could not have been more apt.

Born with a heart defect, doctors did not expect Jack to survive his first years. He has endured three major heart operations, three cardiac arrests, two strokes and a bowel infection and is now waiting on a vital heart transplant to save his life.

Despite all of this, Jack’s first day was a huge success with the only tears coming from mum Fiona as she waved him off.

Jack, who takes medication for heart failure to keep him alive, said: “I loved school. The best bit was playing with all my friends.”

Fiona, an admin assistant, 40, who keeps her phone to hand at all times in case an organ becomes available that matches her son, said: “He is such a happy boy and a great talker – he loves to chat to people.

“His dad and I took him on his first morning. There were no tears when I waved him off at the school gate – apart from me having a wee sniffle.

“Jack went in and didn’t even look backwards. We then went to work to keep our minds off him being at school.

“Jack loved every minute of school. He had a great time. He is so bubbly and chatty, after his first day, he couldn’t wait to go to school the following day to see all his pals again.”

Jack’s heart defect was originally discovered by a routine ante-natal scan when Fiona was 20 weeks’ pregnant. His surgical team believe that only a transplant will allow him to survive childhood.

She added: “He is doing really well at the moment. He had his medical review three weeks ago from his cardiologist so he doesn’t need to go back for four months.

“She is really happy with him. He is in heart failure but he is stable. We are just waiting for a transplant now.”

Fiona and husband Paul, from Woodfarm, East Renfrewshire, were given stark choices when Jack was born – to have a late termination, let Jack pass away at birth without treatment or to try everything to save him.

His condition – hypoplastic left heart syndrome – meant there was no guarantee that he would survive.

She said: “They will phone us when a heart becomes available. He has been on the list for just over two years now.

“We are waiting but these things take time. It’s definitely better now that the system for donations has changed and people have to opt out rather than opt in.

“That has been a great help to increase donors. We were on the organ register even before the opt-out changes. I think these changes to the donor system will make a huge difference, especially as Jack gets older and he is still waiting for a heart.

“It’s one of these things – it just takes a while.”

As Jack runs rounds the playground at Our Lady of the Mission Primary School in Thornliebank, it may be hard to believe but he was born six weeks early by emergency caesarean section.

His mum suffered high blood pressure and he had to be delivered early at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow to save them both.

He was then flown to the heart unit at the Evelina Hospital for Children in London.

Jack suffered a series of complications including cardiac arrests and strokes and stayed for six months.

Fiona added: “We could be waiting days or it could be years. We just need to get used to that. We are two years down the line now.

“He doesn’t let anything phase him. He is very confident, very happy and very talkative. He loves singing and dancing.

“He says he wants to be a singer, a dancer, a bin man and a car mechanic. He is clearly a jack of all trades. He also loves George Ezra and loves the song Shotgun. He sings it constantly.

“His dad and I are talkers so he seems to have got that from us. He has such a bubbly personality. He loves monster trucks, hot wheels cars, tractors and anything to do with construction – his dad is a joiner so that’s maybe why.

“Talking about organ donation is such a difficult thing especially about children but it would really help people to have this conversation just in case. If you are under 16, people still have to opt in for organ donation. You need to make that decision whether you want your children’s organs to be used.

“The clinical staff we deal with have been amazing. The children’s hospital in Glasgow have done everything for us.

“They spoke to the school about Jack going there to make the teachers more comfortable. When he is at school, the teachers just keep an eye on him.

“Everyone is aware of his heart condition so they know they can phone me and ask if they have any questions.

“They just watch out for him and, if needs a wee sit down, he gets that and a drink of water. It’s much the same as when he was at nursery.”

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Head teacher Catherine Dillon-Ruddy said Jack had settled in instantly. She said: “Jack has had a fantastic start in Our Lady of the Missions Primary school.

“He has been a bright wee character, full of fun and has embraced every opportunity to make new friends and explore the classroom and playground.

“Our motto is ‘We are children on a mission and we are reaching for the stars’. Jack will absolutely reach for the stars as part of the Our Lady of the Missions family.”

Meanwhile, his family are ready at a moment’s notice to head to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for Jack’s transplant.

Fiona said: “We are ready to go whenever it might be. Jack will adapt to anything. He is such a confident wee boy.”