BOSTON -- There is new hope for thousands of the sickest of heart patients. As NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Monday, researchers say the heart pump device could save, and improve countless lives.

Emma Morgan is proud to show off the battery back she is forced to wear every single day. It helps keep her alive.

"It keeps me going. It keeps me living," said Morgan, 76, of Hudson, Mass.

NewsCenter 5 interviewed Emma in 2005, after she became the first patient in New England to receive an implantable heart pump at Massachusetts General Hospital as part of a clinical trial. The HeartMate II is a lighter, more advanced version of the original heart pump. It powers a tiny pump that is implanted inside her body to force blood through key arteries in her weakened heart.

"Patients with the pump lived longer, and lived better," said Dr. Thomas MacGillivray, a cardiac surgeon with the MGH Heart Center.

MacGillivray is excited that the device will be able to help more people. Last month, the FDA recently approved it for severe heart failure patients who can not receive a heart transplant. It was only approved for patients waiting for transplant.

"The plan is to have that pump stay in the patients indefinitely," he said.

The HeartMate II was designed to last seven to 10 years. But it comes with its own challenges.

"It's an electrical pump that requires continues power," MacGillivray said.

When the beep alerted Morgan that her batteries were running low, her husband, John, jumped into action to replace them immediately.

"The power cord comes from the body that is tunneled through the abdominal wall," MacGillivray said.

Each battery lasts up to four hours. The device can also be plugged into a power unit at home. Despite all the wires, Morgan's husband said the pump allows them to live a normal life together, one they appreciate more than ever before.

"The beginning of April will give us 50 years," said John Morgan. "We're going to have 50 more if this keeps up."