A woman who was given only two weeks to live as a newborn baby has reached her 30th birthday.

 

Nicola Barnett, of Jardine Street, Wombwell, suffers from DiGeorge Syndrome meaning the pulmonary artery in her heart is narrow and the artery in her left lung has become narrow or blocked.

 

Less than three weeks after she was born, she was rushed to Barnsley Hospital when she had turned blue while at a Wombwell clinic.

 

Her mum Ann Bentley, had taken her there as Nicola had not been keeping her milk down.

 

By the time they got her to the hospital she was dehydrated and suffering from heart failure.

 

She deteriorated in Barnsley Hospital, and doctors said she only had two weeks left to live.

"We had to christen her and everything because we didn't think she would pull through," Ann, 61, said.

 

But on Tuesday mum-of-one Nicola celebrated her 30th birthday.

 

"The doctors have said she would live until her late 20s, early 30s and as you can imagine I'm worried because she is 30. But she just takes it day by day," Ann said.

 

Nicola has had to delay her birthday celebrations until December because she had a stent fitted in the artery of her left lung last week at Leeds General Infirmary.

 

She was allowed home the following day and is hoping to go out with her friends tomorrow

for Hallowe'en.

 

She suffers from tiredness and has to wear an oxygen mask at regular intervals throughout the day, she cannot do excerise as it puts too much strain on her heart.

 

She lives at home with her parents and uses a stairlift to get up the stairs.

 

Her mum and stepdad, Geoff, help her look after Nicola's son Luke, nine, who she decided to have despite concerns that she could die.

 

Nicola was rushed to intensive care after giving birth to her son but she says she doen't regret it and she doesn't let her illness bother her.

 

"I don't worry about it too much I just get on with it."