WALKING WONDER
TANYA BIRCH HASN’T LET HEART DISEASE SLOW HER DOWN
A Kiwi miracle in action
Today, Tanya Birch is a mum of two, an early childhood teacher and a keen walker. But she almost didn’t make it past infancy. Tanya (47) was dubbed a miracle baby due to surviving heart surgery before the age of three.
The Weekly last caught up with Tanya when she was a toddler in hospital recovering from the then pioneering surgery in 1974.
“I don’t remember much of it, but my mum definitely does,” Tanya chuckles.
As a baby, it was discovered Tanya had a congenital heart disease, which resulted in her having two holes in her heart and two leaky valves.
Her mum Charlene (75) remembers the time well, explaining how the diagnosis came about just after she’d had another child.
“Tanya was born not well and was struggling to feed – she was only tiny,” Charlene recalls. “I’d just had a baby and then learned my other child would be going into hospital!
“For the first year, I had to carry her everywhere because she couldn’t walk or sit up properly and the only way she’d sleep was if the vacuum cleaner was on
– it got a lot of use during that time,” she smiles.
At the time, open heart surgery in New Zealand – especially for infants – was uncommon. Tanya was operated on by renowned surgeons Sir Brian Barratt
Boyes and John Neutze.
Tanya hasn’t let her early health challenges limit her.
While she says she has always had to be mindful of “not over exerting herself”, she makes sure to exercise and live as full a life as possible.“When I was younger, it did make me feel a bit different because I couldn’t keep up with everyone and
I had a big scar,”
Tanya tells.
“But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to keep up with my boys – Logan (20) and Keanu (18). I’ve worked hard to look after myself. I still get blue or purple lips if I haven’t got very good circulation and I can get quite short of breath. So I’m just really careful not to overdo it.”
However, she’s delighted that she is able to be part of the Jennian Homes Mother’s Day Fun Run/Walk, which supports The Heart Foundation for Women campaign. She’ll be walking for her third year on May 13
– a feat which makes her mum very proud. “She’s amazed me from the word go, how she tackles everything. She’s a real bright spark. We’re very proud of her.”