A dad-of-one underwent a remarkable transplant operation which saw his beating heart stored in a box outside his body.
James Walton became desperately ill after his aorta had 'burst' and was put on the urgent transplant list on January 3, this year.
He was given a new heart just five days later, but this had to be kept alive in a transparent box during the five-hour operation.
The 34-year-old is the just the third person in the UK to undergo the procedure, and the first at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Post-surgery: James Walton, from Birmingham, pictured shortly after his dramatic transplant
Mr Walton, who has a three-year-old son named Jack, said: 'As soon as I woke up, I felt like a new person. I felt great. I can breathe again.
'Most importantly, I can spend time with my little boy.'
Mr Walton, who works as a joiner, was born with Marfan Syndrome which affects the connective tissue in the body and can lead to heart valve problems later in life.
In 2015, his health began to deteriorate and in October he needed surgery after his aorta ruptured.
The following year he had further surgery to have his aortic valve replaced, and finally a pacemaker fitted.
But all the operations failed to do the trick, and Mr Walton was left barely able to walk, in pain and having difficulty breathing. The only option left was to find a new heart.
Vital: The heart was stored in a plastic box (R) for five hours while the procedure was completed, with blood pumped into the muscle to keep it alive (L)
Rare: Mr Walton, seen here in his hospital bed at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is just the third person in the UK to undergo the gruesome procedure
Mr Walton said: 'My heart wasn't working right so it was affecting my day to day life. I was finding it hard to breathe, and to play with my little lad.
'I couldn't really do anything in the end.'
He became so ill that on some days he couldn't even get out of bed. Despite having a pacemaker fitted, his heart could not get enough oxygen round his body.
And, especially when he was asleep, his heart was beating dangerously slowly.
Mr Walton's wife, Kat, said: 'James couldn't walk more than 100 yards at work.
'He couldn't play football or go to the park with our three-year-old boy. He was exhausted all the time. His heart wasn't pumping enough blood and wasn't giving enough oxygen to the body. Sometimes he couldn't even get out of bed for days because of the pain.'
Mr Walton was admitted to the Royal Stoke Hospital at the beginning of December, where they first discussed a heart transplant as an option.
Then, just after Christmas, he was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where things took a dramatic turn for the worst.
'Our whole family was shocked when we heard he was on the transplant list,' he said.
'We were told that we would probably be waiting for around three months, or possibly even a year. But James was too ill to leave hospital. We got told he would have to stay in until they found one, and we were preparing for a long wait.
'When we heard they had found a heart just five days later we were absolutely stunned.'
Family support: Mr Walton, pictured with his three-year-old son, Jack, in
