ONE GOOD TURN...
Parents of baby whose life was saved repay the doctor
The vet parents of a baby boy whose life was saved by heart surgery have thanked the doctor who performed the procedure by treating his French bulldog for the same condition.
Mattia Ferasin, now four, was born with a hole in his heart and needed a seven-hour operation to save his life. Dr Caner Salih, one of the cardiac surgeons involved later revealed that his pet bulldog Büdu had the same heart problem - a ventricular septal defect - and Mattia's parents Luca, 54, and Heidi - who are veterinary cardiologists - immediately volunteered to help when they found out.
The surgery on the dog was a success and, in another twist, Büdu and Mattia have become best friends.
Mrs Ferasin, 38, from Four Marks, Hampshire, said: 'We are forever indebted to the whole team of doctors who helped Mattia. 'Without their skill and knowledge of all the staff we are well aware that we wouldn't have Mattia with us now. 'This is our way of giving something back because no words can ever express the gratitude that we feel.'
She added: 'We have always felt that we owe all the staff so much. 'We are very aware that without their skill, passion and compassion, Mattia may not be here today. 'Thanks to the surgery and the ongoing care of the cardiology team, Mattia is a thriving, healthy and happy little boy who just celebrated his fourth birthday.'
Dr Salih, 58, added: 'Büdu has now made a full recovery. He's not the brightest dog in the world but he's family.'
Mattia was born at St Thomas Hospital in London with a hole in his heart and a narrow aorta that was limiting the blood supply to the lower half of his body.the conditions - a ventricular septal defect and coarctation of the aorta - were picked up 20 weeks into Heidi's pregnancy.
He was operated on at the adjoining Evelina London Children's Hospital when he was six days old in March 2015.
Mother-of-two Mrs Ferasin, who also has a seven-year-old son called Dante, said: 'When we found out about the heart condition it was really frightening to hear.
'It's not what any parent wants to hear. We struggled with the unknown and the uncertainty of it. We knew that when he was born he would have to undergo risky surgery.
'We had no idea what his quality of life would be like afterwards.' doctors had warned his parents there was a 10 per cent chance of Mattia not surviving the risky open heart surgery.
The seven-and-a-half hour operation was led by Dr David Anderson and was a success.
Mattia was allowed to go home for the first time six days after surgery. Mrs Ferasin said: 'It was horrible to see him like that in intensive care. 'We sat by his side and there was nothing we could do. The surgery took longer than we thought it would so we got really worried.
'When we first saw him, after the operation, it was a traumatic sight. There were lots of tubes and cables and he looked very swollen.
The vet parents of a baby boy whose life was saved by heart surgery have thanked the doctor who performed the procedure by treating his French bulldog for the same condition