BRAVEHEART: BABY GIRL SURVIVES HEART SWELLING TO SIZE OF ORANGE

A baby girl has become the youngest British patient to receive a life-saving cardiac operation after her heart swelled to twice its normal size within days of her birth. Little Phoebe Whittle was just four weeks old when medics had to battle to save her life from a congenital defect which gave her tiny heart only a third of the oxygen it needed to work. Mum Charlotte 27, and husband Carl, 32, looked on in horror as she failed to breathe normally and turned blue within days of being born. Phoebe had been born with ALCAPA, Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery, that meant the artery to her heart muscle was connected incorrectly, starving it of oxygen.As a result, Phoebe's heart ballooned to twice its size - swelling from the size of a walnut to the size of an apple. But incredibly, the tiny tot - dubbed 'Braveheart' by her proud parents, made a stunning recovery following groundbreaking surgery at Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Other great stories
WOMAN RESPONDS TO TROLLS AFTER BEING DUBBED 'SWAMP CREATURE'

A young makeup artist has hit back at vile internet trolls who dubbed her a 'swamp creature' and 'ugly' for exposing her troubled skin in online makeup tutorials .

BACKFLIPPING SHARK SOARS DURING SEAL HUNT

Exploding out of the water, a great white shark performs a backflip during a hunt for seals .

MINI-CANE GUIDES BLIND LEXI

A BLIND school-girl whose growth has been stunted by a rare medical condition is finding her feet again with the help of a specially made mini-cane .

BEAR CUBS AND DOTING MUM

A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .

TEEN BOY FINALLY HITS PUBERTY AFTER ANOREXIA STUNTED HIS GROWTH

A student has finally hit puberty after a four year battle against anorexia stunted his growth .

UNUSUAL FRIENDSHIP

MAKING himself at home, this little snail perches happily on top of this frog's head .

SNOWY SQUIRRELS PLAY A GAME OF BALL

Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .

BIKINI DIVER SWIMS WITH SHARKS

ARMED with her camera, bikini and flippers, this brave diver goes swimming with SHARKS .

GIANT JELLYFISH DWARFS DIVER - CONTRACT CANCELLED

CONTRACT CANCELLED - DO NOT SYNDICATE!! .

BABY MAY PARALYSE ME AND LEAVE ME IN LABOUR PAIN FOREVER

A young mum-to-be who was told she would never fall pregnant due to a rare condition has decided to keep her miracle baby even though his birth could leave her paralysed and in pain forever .

ABANDONED TEXTILE MILL

HUNDREDS of colour coordinated yarns lie abandoned in this once thriving textile mill .

PEEKABOO SQUIRRELS EMERGE FROM THEIR NEST

SQUEEZING their furry faces through a hole in a tree, a trio of curious baby squirrels leave their nest for the first time to explore their surroundings .