A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl whose life was saved by a heart transplant when she was three months old yesterday helped launch a new plea for donors.

Louisa McGregor-Smith, from Middlesbrough, dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz to hand out hearts to 33 tin men at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, to raise awareness of the need for more people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Louisa was born a healthy baby, but developed a chest infection at 12 weeks old.

She was taken to the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, and diagnosed with heart failure.

Louisa’s mother, Samantha Smith, 35, said: ‘‘I felt devastated.

I knew if she was going there, she must be very poorly.

It was a terribly frightening time.”

After being put on a ventilator and stabilised, the family faced an agonising wait for a heart donor.

Six weeks later, on December 23, 2007, their Christmas wishes came true, and after a 15-hour operation Louisa was given a new heart.

She made an amazing recovery and was well enough to go home four weeks later.

Mrs Smith said: “If Louisa is anything to go by, being a donor is an amazing thing to do because you do not know when it may happen to your family.”

Louisa’s father, Kenny, 38, said he owed everything to the family of their donor, who they keep in touch with. He said: “Louisa is just great and she really is just a barrel of fun.”

More than 10,000 people need an organ transplant in the UK.

Yesterday’s event marked the countdown to the launch of a national campaign on November 2.

Sally Johnson, director of organ donation and transplants for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: ‘‘The reason we have 33 tin men is because between now and the launch of the campaign, three people every day will die because we cannot get the organs we desperately need.

“Louisa is lucky because she has a donor, but others cannot wait and they need the organs now.”

To become a donor, visit organdonation.nhs.uk