Walking Wonder A Kiwi Miracle In Action!

Tanya birch hasn’t let heart disease slow her down.

- Ciara Pratt

Today, Tanya Birch is a mum of two, an early childhood teacher and a keen walker. But she almost didn’t make

it past infancy. Tanya (47) was dubbed a miracle baby due to surviving heart surgery before the age of three.

The Weekly last caught up with Tanya when she was a toddler in hospital recovering from the then pioneering surgery in 1974.

“I don’t remember much of it, but my mum definitely does,” Tanya chuckles.

As a baby, it was discovered Tanya had a congenital heart disease, which resulted in her having two holes in her heart and two leaky valves.

Her mum Charlene (75) remembers the time well, explaining how the diagnosis came about just after she’d had another child.