A girl not expected to live beyond three months old has defied experts by becoming a teenager.

Annie Dudeney celebrated turning 13 this weekend with a birthday party at the family home in Peacehaven.

Annie is now the second oldest surviving child in the country with the rare genetic condition Edwards Syndrome, which affects the heart, lungs and digestive system.

Very few children live beyond their first year but Annie has continued against the odds.

Annie is severely disabled and needs round the clock care as she is fed through a tube and her oxygen levels need regular checking.

Despite this, Annie is constantly smiling and loves to be around her adoptive mother Jane, 60, and adopted brothers Ian, 17, Terry, 16, and Jack, 14.

She is not able to talk but still knows how to communicate and get her message across.

Her family marked Annie's birthday today by releasing 1,300 pink balloons.

Single mother Jane, of Southview Road, said: "She is absolutely marvellous.

"We never know whether she is going to get through each year so when she does it is a delight and a bonus.

"We live each day to the full. She has problems of course but her quality of life is good.

"She smiles and is happy and has a lot going on in her life.

"From when I first saw her at the hospital when she was a baby I knew she was going to be special.

"The doctors warned me she might not be with us for very long and we have had a lot of ups and downs over the years.

"We would never have believed all those years ago that we would be celebrating her thirteenth birthday but here we are.

"She is a little miracle and we are so lucky to have her and to have known her."

Annie has a string of visitors each week as she is given play therapy, art therapy, music therapy and speech therapy as well as a visit from a teacher twice a week.

The family also get help and support from the Leo House hospice service and get respite care from the Chestnut Tree House children's hospice near Arundel.

Annie loves her visits to the hospice and it gives her mother a chance to relax.

Jane said: "We have had so much support from so many people, including Annie's consultant at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital.

"She is in and out of there a lot but everyone has been so supportive and caring.

"Thanks to the treatment she has been getting, Annie has been the most stable she has been for a long time.

"Our family has really learned how important and precious life is and every morning when Annie wakes up is a day to celebrate and enjoy."

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