A NEWPORT man is following his dream of becoming a graphic designer just three years after being told he was going to die.

Matthew Lammas, 22, of Allt-yr-yn, was born with a small hole in his heart, but after having a pacemaker fitted, he lived a relatively healthy life until 2008 when his heart started to fail.

His mother, Helen Murray, said: “At the end of May, he was fine, but by the end of September, he was told he was going to die.”

Mr Lammas was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart to swell and fail, and was given just months to find a suitable match for a heart transplant.

A donor was found, but by the time Mr Lammas went to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for a transplant in January 2009, he couldn’t eat.

His weight plummeted to six stone and he was wheelchair bound.

He is now back home and, while he must take 15 tablets a day and will one day need another transplant, he is studying a BTEC in art and design at Coleg Gwent and hopes to become a graphic designer.

Mr Lammas said: “It’s a great feeling to be back at college and to get a second chance to do what I enjoy.”