A girl whose life was saved by first-of-its kind heart surgery at Evelina London is now taking her GCSEs.
Annabelle Gardiner, 16, was born with a condition that meant the left side of her heart did not develop properly. When she was just three weeks old she became the first child in the UK to have the hybrid procedure – an operation that helps the heart to work until a baby is strong enough for complex open heart surgery.
Without surgery, babies with the condition can die within days or weeks of being born.
Annabelle then had another operation at six months and a third in 2012 when she was six.
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Now she is preparing to take seven GCSEs and likes horse-riding, tap dancing and swimming.
Annabelle said: “I feel extremely lucky that I was the first person in the UK to have the procedure. I think it’s really cool and it’s something I enjoy telling my friends.
“I try to live my life to the full and I don’t let my heart condition get in the way of doing the things I enjoy. I love swimming, tap dancing and horse riding, which I’ve been doing since I was six years old.
“I’m a big fan of K-Pop and my favourite band is BTS and my dream is to see them perform live in Las Vegas. I don’t yet know what I want to do when I grow up, but I’m interested in the media and photography and I would love to do something in those areas.”
Annabelle’s mum Amanda said: “It’s amazing seeing how far Annabelle has come. Her doctors have always encouraged us not to wrap her up in cotton wool and we have never treated her any differently. She is so full of life and is such a brave feisty girl. It’s incredible that she is doing her GCSEs given her very difficult start in life. We’re extremely thankful to the team at Evelina London for the care she received. They gave her a lifeline.”
Annabelle’s operation was led by Professor Shak Qureshi, a cardiologist, and Professor David Anderson, a heart surgeon. She still has yearly check-ups with Prof Qureshi. Both men said they were delighted with the progress she had made.