A baby has received a mechanical heart following a life-saving operation, but her parents are terrified she’ll never find a donor.

Leyla Bell — a 1-year-old who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy last year — has spent much of her newborn life in the hospital since she was born in September last year.

The tiny tot from Manchester, England, was recently fitted with a life-saving mechanical ventricular assistant device known as the “Berlin Heart” as she stands on the waiting list for an organ transplant.

“As unclear as Leyla’s future is, we are hopeful,” her mom Savana, 32, told NeedToKnow.online recently. “The wait for a donor is long, scary, frustrating and upsetting.”

Bell was born via emergency C-section on Sept. 2, 2021, but was rushed to the hospital one month later.

Her parents, Savana and Martin, were sad to learn about her diagnosis of the heart muscle disease that causes the heart chambers to enlarge, and hope for organ treatment as soon as possible.

It’s been an uphill battle during the baby’s first 12 months of life since her body also contained the rare gene known as TPM1, which led to more health problems.

After Bell survived a paralyzing stroke and sepsis, doctors discovered that she had an enlarged heart and liver. She was later put on a ventilator due to her irregular breathing. However, the stroke was not caused by her condition directly.

Her parents noted that when she was born, Bell had irregular breathing and was brought to the NICU. She was given four hours of oxygen, fed via a nasogastric tube for 48 hours and received five days of IV antibiotics.

However, the baby got stronger and was brought home, with Savana noting that Bell “thrived and was happy and content.”

But just a few weeks after her birth, she stopped eating and her voice became “wheezy.”

After several tests, Bell’s condition worsened and her heart stopped beating. Fortunately, medics were able to revive her with CPR and adrenaline.

“When Leyla’s heart stopped, I was in a state of shock I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing,” Savana said.

Bell is still waiting for a new heart but has been pulling through with her mechanical organ so far.

“Hearing we needed a transplant was scary, we knew the risks involved, the potential wait times, the fact it wasn’t a cure,” Savana explained. “Her life expectancy with no donor is unknown. Without the Berlin Heart machine, she would already be dead – it keeps her alive.”

Her stroke and paralysis removed her from the transplant list because Bell’s doctors fear that she won’t be able to live through the surgery.

But with her new mechanical device, she has a better chance of survival until she finds an donor organ.

“You aren’t waiting for someone else’s child to die,” Savana said. “You are praying that when a parent is given the devastating news their child isn’t going to live, that they help save yours. It’s the single most brave and selfless decision.”

“Waiting for the call is an extremely mixed bag of emotions,” she said, noting how she and her husband won’t give up hope that their baby girl makes it home for the holidays this year.

“I try to take each day as it comes, focus on the life we plan to build when she does get the call, as we can’t live in the vicious circle of negativity,” Savana said. “That’s no good for Leyla, she needs positive vibes around her.”