TO have one child with a life-threatening condition is traumatic for any parent.

To have a second with an unrelated, but just as dangerous, one must be a near mortal blow.

Yet Gemma Smith can smile today because of the fantastic care that those at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital gave.

Molly had a twisted gut and was born under an emergency caesarean nine weeks early before being whisked away for surgery to save her life.

Her brother Brendan was born with a life-threatening heart condition and is one of the beneficiaries of a link up between child heart services at the JR and Southampton’s hospital.

Medics knew both children had serious conditions because Miss Smith had undergone her 20-week scan.

It is up to all parents to decide if they want to have the scan, but Miss Smith is under no illusion that both helped lead to her children surviving.

She is just extremely fortunate that she is in a position to be able to say thanks to those doctors and nurses who were able to turn that knowledge to the children’s advantage.