by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

Just a year after a double lung transplant, Dover teenager Hannah Pettifer is looking forward to being a VIP guest at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Grammar school pupil Hannah, who is 13, is being given the once-in-a-lifetime experience courtesy of an on-going relationship between Formula 1 and Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she has been a regular patient for many years.

It was when she was 18 months old that Hannah was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension, a rare lung disease where the vessels are narrow and twisted, restricting the flow of oxygen.

At the age of five, Hannah had a Hickman line inserted into her heart and was on medication to keep her alive. She spent eight years in a wheelchair as she was unable to walk long distances.

A year ago she underwent the double lung transplant operation, giving her the chance to lead a more normal life.

"The transplant has made all the difference to Hannah," said her father John.

"She is really looking forward to the trip to Silverstone - and so are we!"

Full story in this week's Dover Mercury.

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