Just two weeks ago, Zoe Chambers and her family were

celebrating the new life a heart transplant had given her.

On June 28, the first anniversary of the life-saving

surgery, Zoe was partying with family and friends after taking

her first steps, reducing her medication and planning an

appearance as the youngest entrant at the British Transplant

Games.

But on Saturday evening tragedy struck.

The Mail understands Zoe fell ill at the family home in St

Nicholas Avenue, west Hull.

She was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary's paediatric accident

and emergency department, where doctors battled to save her

life.

But, despite their best efforts, Zoe passed away.

Today, as Zoe's parents, Julie and Rob, both 34, grieve with

Zoe's six-year-old brother Dylan at home, tributes have poured

in for the youngster who in the past year amazed doctors with

the speed of her recovery.

Dr Richard Kirk, the transplant cardiologist at Newcastle

Freeman Hospital, where Zoe spent many months before and after

surgery, said staff were in shock.

He said: “We accommodate half the transplant children in the

country and they don't come any more special than Zoe. Her

death is a terrible tragedy.

“All the staff at the hospital who helped Zoe when she was

here are devastated.

“Zoe spent a long time in our care, from first being

admitted through to the after-care she received, and we get

very close to the children, so it's utterly devastating when

they suffer.”

Before getting her new heart, Zoe suffered six heart attacks

and survived for 100 days attached to a Berlin Heart – a

£100,000 piece of equipment that kept her alive.

The need for a new heart became so desperate Zoe was

fast-tracked to the top of the European transplant list and at

one point doctors gave her 24 hours to live.

After her transplant Zoe returned home and had been going

from strength to strength.

She began eating proper food, enabling her family to remove

a gastric nasal tube, and on Mother's Day this year she took

her first steps.

Dr Kirk told the Mail he had been treating Zoe for about 18

months and the circumstances surrounding her sudden death were

uncommon.

He said: “What happened to Zoe is so unfortunate and

extremely uncommon.

“To die after a year following the huge steps forward she

had taken is unheard of in our experience.

“She was doing so well. We expected her to take much more

time to recover, but she didn't and that was testament to her

strength.”

Zoe had become an icon for organ donation nationally.

A spokesman for UK Transplant said: “We are deeply saddened

to hear of Zoe's sudden death and our thoughts are with her

family.

“Zoe and her parents have played a significant role in

encouraging more of us to join the NHS Organ Donor

Register.”