A LITTLE girl born with half a heart has beaten the odds to celebrate her third birthday.

Scarlett Dougan was born with rare Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS) - where the right side of the heart is underdeveloped - meaning her body was unable to pump enough blood to her lungs.

Few of the 600 babies diagnosed with the condition every year survive; many die within days of birth.

However, Scarlett has since come through two major heart operations, during which doctors spent hours rerouting major arteries directly to her lungs to improve her flow of oxygen.

She faces her third open heart surgery in around 18 months and will require a heart transplant in her teens.

Her mother Nichola, 30, a primary teacher from Broomhill, said: "We are trying to extend the journey they can give Scarlett."

But despite the ordeal, and raising three children under five, Nichola and her family and friends have raised £78,000 for Yorkhill and the British Heart Foundation, to help improve care for other children born with a heart condition.

Ordinarily, HRHS in a baby would be picked up by the 22-week scan carried out on expectant mothers.

But it wasn't until Scarlett's mother Nichola spotted the difference in temperament between Scarlett and her elder brother Nathaniel, now four, that she began to suspect there was a problem.

"Scarlett was just so unhappy and screamed all the time," says Nichola, who has another son, Philip, aged one.

Scarlett's condition meant the proper amount of blood pumped from the right atrium of the heart was not sufficient and caused blood not to be pumped efficiently to her lungs.

In around 18 months, she will face another operation, a complete bypass of the right ventricle, so blood flows back from the body directly into the lungs.

The only clue that she has a serious heart condition is that her little hands are noticeable red, because the blood isn't circulating properly.

Nichola said: "She is such a determined little girl. She keeps up with her brothers. I think she would keep going until she faints.

"She just doesn't stop. She's just started nursery and goes to gymnastics and dancing. She loves Fireman Sam.

"The only thing she complains about is pain in her legs at night. The blood isn't circulating properly."

The British Heart Foundation has just started a major research project looking into Scarlett's condition, which Nichola hopes could offer a cure for Scarlett.

Doctors have said she will need a heart transplant in her teens. The rare syndrome puts extra strain on the working side of the heart as it compensates for the defective heart. This strain eventually leads to the organ wearing out.

Nichola, who is married to Peter, 32,  has backed the Evening Times' campaign for an opt-out transplant system, where individuals are required to opt out of the national register if they do not wish to donate organs after death.

She said: "I try not to think about it too much but it's at the back of my mind all the time.

"Once you have a child who needs a heart transplant, you just have to hope that it happens. I might not have supported opt-out before, but now I think it's a really good idea."

Nichola set up the Scarlett Fund three years ago, to raise awareness and charitable funds, and organises an annual ball in Glasgow.

This year's event is taking place on November 7 and tickets are priced £55. Nichola is looking for local firms to sponsor the event.

She can be contacted at scarlettfund@hotmail.co.uk  For more information, go here