When little Jenna Swales was born, her parents were given the crushing news that she had a life-threatening heart condition. They were warned their little girl may not survive her first few weeks.
But the tiny bundle-of-joy proved to be made of tougher stuff and battled against the odds to survive gruelling surgery.
And on Monday night, her parents Vince and Joy celebrated an occasion they once feared they would never see – Jenna’s 30th birthday.
The family gathered for a surprise barbecue party at Glenisla Golf Course, near their Blairgowrie home.
Joy said: “Everyone was rooting for Jenna at the time. We were so overwhelmed by the support from so many people, particularly Dr Lincoln who did the operation. He worked a miracle.
“We really wanted to track him down and let him know that Jenna was turning 30.”
Jenna’s plight was big news in 1986. The family were surrounded by photographers and reporters when they flew back to the Scotland after Jenna’s life saving surgery in London.
At the time, Joy said: “When I came down the steps (of the plane) there were so many photographers I looked behind me, thinking there must have been somebody famous onboard. I couldn’t believe they were all waiting to see us.”
Jenna, who is now married and works at Glenisla with her husband Andrew, had to undergo emergency surgery to correct a faulty heart valve which caused her blood to switch arteries and circulate the wrong way.
The newborn seemed fine when she was born at Blairgowrie Cottage Hospital.
She had been home for a week when she fell seriously ill and was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. She was then transferred to the Sick Children’s Hospital in Edinburgh where a plane was chartered to fly her to London for an operation at Brompton Hospital.
Little Jenna was taken south in an incubator, hooked up to monitoring machines and other life-saving equipment.
Speaking in August 1986, when Jenna was brought home to join her older sisters Louise and Katie, Joy said: “We feel very hopeful for Jenna’s future. We’re sure everything’s going to be okay.”
The Swales family has since raised thousands of pounds for the Sick Children’s Hospital.
Two years after Jenna’s ordeal, the family was struck by another near-tragedy. Dad Vince was working on the Piper Alpha platform when it exploded, killing 167 people. He was one of just 61 survivors.
