Riyadh Law Student Gains New Life Through Heart Transplant

In Riyadh, Durrah showed no symptoms until doctors discovered she carried a genetic mutation that was weakening her heart muscle.

A year after receiving a heart transplant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH) in Riyadh, this woman in her twenties has resumed her law studies and painting, frequently depicting the heart in her artwork.

Her diagnosis followed the discovery that her sister had cardiomyopathy; genetic testing identified a mutation associated with the condition, leading doctors to recommend screening other relatives.

Durrah carried the same mutation, enabling doctors to monitor her condition before the disease progressed.

Dr. Ahmed Almustafa, a consultant in adult heart failure at KFSH and her case supervisor, noted that genetic testing is a vital tool for identifying the causes of cardiomyopathy and detecting the condition in family members before symptoms appear.

“Cardiomyopathy has many causes, and genetic testing is one of the most important steps in finding the cause,” he said. “These conditions can affect family members to varying degrees, so testing allows us to identify carriers before symptoms appear and manage the disease before it advances.”

As her heart function declined, Durrah underwent cardiac catheterization and MRI scans and received medication; when treatment proved insufficient, a medical committee placed her on the transplant waiting list.

She waited approximately five months for a suitable donor, spending part of that time in intensive care under daily monitoring.

The transplant operation lasted eight hours, from noon until 8 p.m., with a nurse remaining with Durrah’s family throughout and Dr. Almustafa periodically emerging to update them.

When the operation concluded, the nurse told Durrah’s mother: “That’s it. I have delivered what was entrusted to me.”

Following the transplant, Durrah was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life‑support system that temporarily assumes part of the heart and lung function, thereby reducing strain on the newly transplanted organ.

She was taken off ECMO three days later, and her body accepted the new heart.

A year later, Durrah has returned to her studies and divides her time among lectures, sports, travel, and painting — the pursuit that remains closest to her heart.

“It’s hard to receive news like that when you feel nothing at all,” Durrah said. “I thought I was living my life the right way.”

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