Jade McWilliam’s life shows modern world can be wonderful – leader comment

Jade McWilliam, who had open-heart surgery when she was 15 days old, is now 18 and training to be a nurse.

Jade McWilliam with her mum Margaret

With India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers, clashing alarmingly over Kashmir, Britain teetering on the edge of a no-deal Brexit chasm, and the so-called ‘leader of the free world’ declared a “racist”, “conman” and “cheat” by his former lawyer, sometimes it’s important to remember the modern world can be an absolutely wonderful place.

When she was just 15 days old, after being born 10 weeks early, Jade McWilliam became the smallest baby in Britain to have successful open-heart surgery.

It was a life-or-death operation following a cardiac arrest suffered while weighing just 2lb and 2oz.

At the time, the surgeons worried they would not be able to repair her aorta because it was so small.

Today is her 18th birthday, her life saved by the extraordinary skills and knowledge of the medical community.

And now she has revealed that she is training to be a nurse and has hopes of specialising in neonatal or cardiac care so she can help those in a similar situation.

So if bleak headlines begin to get you down, remember there are still people like Jade.