A woman was detained at an Australian airport for having her own heart in her hand luggage (5 photos)

Jessica Manning, 30, a native of New Zealand, described how she was detained for an hour at the airport. She was born with six heart defects and underwent more than 200 surgeries before receiving a transplant.





Jessica initially donated her heart to science, but after 10 months she was told it was no longer needed and decided to store it in a plastic bag at home.

When the woman decided to move to Australia, she put the organ in her hand luggage. She was stopped by border guards; they took time to verify the legality and safety of the import.



"I sat there for about an hour trying to get this damn heart to Australia. But now it's safe in my cupboard," she said.



Jessica had three open-heart surgeries before her transplant, the first at five months old and then two more at three and six years old. At age 22, she developed liver disease. In 2019, she underwent a double heart and liver transplant.



Manning shared: “I started having heart failure when I was 19. And when I was 22, I was diagnosed with liver disease. The disease was triggered by the surgery I had at age three. In December 2016, I was offered a heart and liver transplant, and in "I was put on the list in April 2017, and I waited 16 months for the transplant."



She added: "Everyone asks me, 'What's the best part about having a transplant?' And I just say, 'I can breathe.'"