by Akan Ido

This baby certainly has luck on her side as she has been given a second chance at life due to an open heart surgery which was performed on her minutes after being born.

While she was in the womb, doctors confirmed that baby Chanel Murrish (now 5 weeks old) developed  a rare heart condition in was unlikely to survive.

Surgeons were able to put a stent into the young girl’s heart, which gave her enough time to make it through to a second procedure just a week later, making her the youngest patient to undergo the surgery.

Daily Mail  reports:

Fighters: Parents Fay and Micheal Murrish (pictured with Chanel) decided to go through with the birth despite the low chances of survival after they felt her kicking

Her mother Fay, 24, was told 20 weeks into her pregnancy that her daughter had developed hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a condition where only one side of the heart can beat properly.

Doctors even took the step of recommending that she terminate the pregnancy – since Chanel was so unlikely to survive – but Fay and her husband Micheal were determined to see it through once they felt Chanel kicking in the womb.

Mrs Murrish told the Sunday Mirror: ‘Chanel has proved she is determined to live. I’m so proud of her. The doctors say one in three million babies are at risk of the same condition.

‘We were told Chanel could have operations but would only have a 50/50 chance of surviving the first and would need two more… when you hear that you wonder if you should bring a child into the world.’

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Stronger: Chanel, pictured in the past week, has recovered well from the procedures – though there is more to come

 

Mr and Mrs Murrish were told they could either terminate the pregnancy immediately, give birth naturally and let Chanel die in their arms shortly after birth, or persevere with the surgery – which they chose to do.

Mrs Murrish gave birth to Chanel, who weighed 7lbs, by caesarian at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, and could not even hold her before she was rushed off to surgery.

Since her two rounds of surgery, Mr and Mrs Murrish, of Seaham in County Durham, were able to return home and introduce their new daughter to their two other children Chase, four, and Cole, 22 months.

Chanel has more procedures to come, but has so far gone from strength to strength.