A twelve-year-old girl, who was born with less than half of her heart working, was the first in the UK to have a rare heart operation at Evelina Children’s Hospital.
Millie Healey, from Gloucester, has just celebrated one year since the operation with a walk over Westminster Bridge – something she could never do when she was sick.
Her parents Graeme and Kerry, said: “When Millie was born we knew she was really unwell with this rare combination of complex heart conditions, and underwent her first operation at just ten days old at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
She was born with a combination of heart defects – the most challenging leaving her with less than half of her heart working, known as complex double inlet left ventricle.
After three open heart surgeries before her first birthday, Millie’s condition began to deteriorate when she was eight years old, resulting in further life-saving and complex surgery – known as a Fontan procedure.
It links the veins directly to the lungs, leaving the single ventricle to focus on pumping blood around the body.
Typically, most Fontan procedures last around three hours, compared to Millie’s which took six.
Given the nickname ‘Miracle Millie’ after overcoming the pioneering operation at Evelina London, she was able to walk across Westminster Bridge to Big Ben having previously been too weak to walk to the end of her hospital bed.
Millie’s parents continued: “When Millie was recovering following her operation she would use Big Ben as a target to aim for in a series of steps.
“The first was getting outside to the gardens of neighbouring St Thomas’ to view Big Ben, and then to get closer with every step.”
They added that she is now back at home, can attend school full-time and leave the house without portable oxygen, which she hadn’t managed since her heart started to fail four years ago.
“The operation was a miracle. She is now full of life and energy.”
Evelina London, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, provides specialist cardiovascular and respiratory care at both our purpose-built children’s hospital on the St Thomas’ Hospital site and at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.