Against all odds, the newborn Vanellope managed to live even if she was born with a heart outside her body.
The little girl who was born with a heart outside his body, and managed to survive after another surgery she underwent at Glenfield Hospital, in Leicester, Britain, causes emotion.
Vanelopi Hope Wilkins, who has no pectoral bones, was born three weeks ago by caesarean section.
She had to undergo three surgeries to get her heart in place.
The condition, called ectopic heart disease, is extremely rare, with only a few cases occurring in millions of births, and most babies usually die.
The hospital said it did not know of any other cases in the UK where the baby had survived.
A real fighter
Her parents, Naomi Findley, 31, and Dean Wilkins, 43, of Nottingham, said Vanelopi was "fighting hard".
"It was a real shock when the ultrasound showed that her heart was out of her chest and scary because we did not know what would happen," the mother told the BBC.
The couple asked for a fetal blood test, which showed no chromosomal abnormalities and this made them decide to continue the pregnancy.
The little girl's father said: “We were advised to terminate the pregnancy and we were told that the chances of her survival were almost non-existent. "No one thought he would succeed except us."
Vanelopi was expected to give birth on Christmas Eve, but was finally delivered by caesarean section on November 22 to reduce the chances of infection and heart damage.
About 50 doctors and midwives were present at the birth, including obstetricians, heart surgeons, anesthesiologists and neonatologists.
Within 50 minutes of giving birth, Vanelopi underwent the first of three surgeries to place the heart inside her body.
In the most recent operation, Vanelopi's skin was used to fill the gap in her chest.
Francis Bullock, a pediatric cardiologist, said: "Before she was born, things seemed very difficult but now she is much better - Vanelopi is doing very well and has proven to be very resilient."
"In the future we may be able to install internal bone protection for her heart - possibly using XNUMXD printing or some natural material that will grow with it."
Few children in the US have survived being born with this condition.
Among them is Odrina Cardenas, who was born in Texas in October 2012. She also had surgery to place her heart in her chest and after three months of treatment went home.
Odrina was given a protective plastic cover for her chest. Glenfield Hospital said Vanelopi still had "a long way to go" and that the biggest risk was infection.
The next step, however, is to remove her ventilator, which is used to help her recover after surgery.
Her parents named her Vanelopi after a character in the Disney movie "Ralph: The Next Track." "In the movie, Vanelopi fights hard and in the end she becomes a princess. "So we thought it suited her," her mother explained.
Source: ant1iwo.com