A HEART patient who spent her first four years in hospital is backing a campaign to save the unit which has helped her throughout her life.

Rebecca Bond was born with serious and multiple heart defects and went into heart failure at the age of six months.

Her mother Moira was told there was a chance her daughter would not make it to her first birthday but Ms Bond defied the odds.

The 30-year-old from Haywards Heath is treated and cared for by a specialist team at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London and has visited it on numerous occasions.

Ms Bond said: “The Brompton, for me, as for so many others, is one the most important places in my life.

“It means more to me than almost anywhere and it is a home from home.

“When I was first admitted I was six months old and the prognosis wasn’t good but the team fought to save me.

“They fought for me when I was too small and too ill to fight for myself.

“I made it to my first birthday, then to my second. They fought to get me to each and every milestone.”

Ms Bond still regularly uses the unit, which helps children and adults from all over the country, and faces more surgery in the future.

She is horrified at plans by NHS England to close it following a national review of heart units.

Ms Bond’s condition has had a severe impact on her life, leaving her unable to hold down a full-time job or make future plans because she has no idea when any symptoms or complications will hit.

She said: “When I was young I had to miss months of school and I could not even climb the stairs.

“I needed so many procedures and suffered numerous infections and palpitations.

“The unit has been and still is absolutely invaluable for me and it is vital it stays open.

“I grew up with my family and I played and I went to school. I made friends, walked my dog, got a job, made mistakes, found my talents, watched the sunrise and celebrated birthdays and Christmases I never would have seen.

“I am alive and I have a life.

“It may not be particularly remarkable, but I have a life and it is wonderful.

“I am here because of the Brompton and because of the indescribable expertise and commitment of its amazing staff.”

To support the campaign to save the unit, visit rbhcharity.org.