A REMARKABLE Port Glasgow woman has beaten all the odds to reach her 21st birthday.

Stephanie Hurrell was born with serious heart problems and has spent much of her life in and out of hospital

Aged only nine she had two metal pins inserted to straighten her back during a seven-hour operation at the Royal Edinburgh Children's Hospital.

The former St Stephen's pupil also had surgery to repair a hole in her heart and when she was 16, where a pacemaker was installed and a faulty valve corrected.

Doctors said the teenager could have died within two weeks without the operation.

She marked her milestone by visiting the medical team who have helped to keep her alive for the last 21 years.

She said: "I wanted to thank the cardiac team for looking after for 21 years since I was six weeks old.

"'I've had absolutely amazing care from all the incredible heart team.

"I have lost count of the number of hospital stays I've had over the years. It has become like a second home - and at times I was the world's worst patient!

"I didn't know if I would see the next day sometimes, never mind my 21st birthday. It is a massive milestone."

Stephanie, who lives with her parents Andrew and Angela and youngster sister Jacqueline, in West Woodside Avenue, was also swift to praise her mum.

She said: "She’s been there with me every single step of the way, every hospital stay, every appointment and surgery."

She presented the staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital's Cardiac Unit Ward 1E with a cake.

She said: "I've had lots of different operations.

"I had a hole in my heart and it was repaired a few times but it wasn't completely closed. The valve kept narrowing and two of the four chambers were blocked.

"That was when I was fitted with the pacemaker."

She says the device gave her a whole new lease of life and she has gone on to represent Inverclyde as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament.

Stephanie said: "I was always very tired, very out of breath and didn't have a lot of energy.

"I'm a lot more active now and I'm out a lot more.

"This team have saved my life."