A TODDLER born with half a heart has been kept alive using Viagra.
Doctors gave little Hope Stainton the erectile dysfunction drug for three months to keep her blood vessels open following lifesaving surgery.
She was born with a condition which meant only the left side of her heart had developed.
Surgeons had to do some major “replumbing”, starting when she was just five weeks old.
The Viagra was used to help her blood flow as her body got used to the changes.
The drug is normally taken in the form of “little blue pills” by men experiencing erection problems.
Hope’s mum Kim, 33, a nail technician, said: “People are amazed when I tell them Hope has been on Viagra for three months.
“I was shocked when the doctors told us — I never imagined something like that would be used for her treatment.
“But it’s worked brilliantly. She’s made an amazing recovery from her surgery, and to look at her now you wouldn’t know she has just half a working heart.”
Kim and her trainee photographer husband Liam, 36, of Preston, were devastated when doctors told them Hope had rare hypoplastic right heart syndrome when Kim was 20 weeks pregnant.
Kim said: “We were anxious when she had the surgery but she has come through it so well.
“She has done so well on Viagra — its really helped her recovery.
“It’s kept her blood vessels more open so the blood can flow more freely. She’s made amazing progress on it.”
Hope turns two in August and is a “happy little girl”, her parents say.
Kim said: “It seems like a miracle that she’s here with us.”
The family — supported by charity Little Hearts Matter — have taken part in a YouTube video to help other parents whose children have similar conditions.
