Best friends Ashton George and Evie Clasper have a lot in common.
The bubbly little four-year-olds attend the same reception class at Barley Fields School, live with their families in Ingleby Barwick, have big sisters at All Saints School and both their mums have chosen careers in nursing.
But the youngsters also share something much more rare.
Both Ashton and Evie were born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition where the left side of the heart does not develop properly during fetal growth.
It affects only 1 in 5,000 babies.
“We came in to register Ashton in the nursery and the lady said I think we have another little girl with the same condition,” said Ashton’s mum Lisa.
“I just thought ‘That can’t be right’ because it’s so rare.
“We have spoken to people in support groups and have never heard of two children being in the same class with the same condition.
“But Evie’s mum and I have become very close and Ashton and Evie are the best of friends.”
As previously reported, Evie underwent a a heart transplant in April last year after an agonising wait for a donor which left her fighting for her life.
But since the operation, the little girl has come on in leaps and bounds, and now enjoys running, dancing, playing on her bike - things she could never do before receiving her new heart.
Ashton meanwhile has undergone a three-stage procedure to repair his heart and is also making great progress.
Lisa was told he had the condition after a routine scan at 26 weeks.
“My husband was in the Army and we were in Germany at the time,” said the 32-year-old.
“Over there you get a scan every four weeks and it was picked up when he was 26 weeks.
“He had his first operation when he was born, his second when he was four months and his third when he was three - a year and a half ago.”
The three-stage surgery which Ashton underwent was developed in the early 1980s. Therefore, the earliest survivors are in their early 30s and the long-term prognosis is unknown.
Ashton may eventually need a transplant at some point in his life, said Lisa.
“When you’re going through the operations you just deal with it,” she said.
“But I think now is the hardest part because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Children can only get two transplants because the arteries cant withstand any more damage so you just can’t help worrying.
“He’s on medication and will have to take it for the rest of his life. He does get breathless and he’s probably not as fast as the other kids but he limits himself and knows when he needs a break.”
“He’s been so brave, he’s just remarkable.
“His teachers have helped him so much. After all the hospital visits he had a hard time trusting adults because he thought they were going to hurt him,” she said.
“But the staff here have taught him to trust adults again.”
* February is World Heart Month, when the British Heart Foundation organises a range of fundraising events and awareness campaigns to help with cardiovascular research.
For more information visit www.bhf.org.uk
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