Britain's smallest twin who weighed just 13oz at birth wins eight-month fight for life and goes home to her delighted parents

Liz and Jeff Barrett were devastated when they lost their daughter Mollie just two days after Liz went into premature labour at 23 weeks.

But they were thrilled and amazed when her smaller twin Freya-Grace refused to give up the battle for survival despite only weighing 13oz at birth.

Over eight months she had nine blood transfusions, a plasma transfusion, and a delicate heart valve operation.

Britain's smallest twin: Liz with newborn Freya-Grace, who weighed just 13oz at birth

The feisty youngster was allowed home from hospital today to Deri in South Wales with an oxygen supply to help strengthen her lungs.

Many hospitals leave babies born before 24 weeks to die because they only have a two per cent chance of survival and often have severe disabilities.

However, doctors are hopeful that Freya-Grace will go on to live a normal life.

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Mrs Barrett said: 'We are so proud of her. It's just fantastic Freya-Grace is home and putting on weight every day.

'She already brings us so much joy and her fighting spirit has got her through.'

Liz and her self-employed builder husband Jeff, 33, kept a cotside vigil - taking it turns to be with their little girl.

When their daughter was born she fitted easily into Liz's hand and her skin was so transluscent some of her veins were visible.

Home at last: Freya-Grace, pictured with her mother Liz, has left hospital today weighing nine pounds - still less than some full-term babies

Customer service advisor Liz said: 'At first, we were shocked that Freya had survived - she was the smallest of the two girls.

'We thought the doctors had made a mistake - we thought Mollie was going to live.

'When I saw Freya, she reminded me of cooked chicken. She was so small. Her skin was shiny, you could almost see straight through her.

'She didn't look like a normal baby should. It was horrible to see her hooked up to all these wires. I wanted to hold her but she was too fragile to touch.'

But she said her brave little girl is living proof that babies are viable at 23 weeks.

She is furious after a leading consultant questioned whether babies should be resuscitated when born at 23 weeks.

Dr Daphne Austin, of the West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Team, told a BBC documentary that rescuscitating '23-weekers' was doing more harm than good.

Liz, who became pregnant through IVF treatment, said: 'I was infuriated by her comments.

'I would like to meet Mrs Austin, ask her to look into Freya-Grace's eyes then ask whether she thinks treating 23-week babies is a waste of money.'

Liz and Jeff say they will always be grateful to the doctors and staff at the specialist neo-natal unit at Singleton Hospital, in Swansea, where Freya-Grace spent her first eight months.

Freya-Grace weighs in at 9lbs now - still less than the birth weight of many babies.

Liz said: 'She's a determined little girl. She's already pulling herself up and arching her back. She's so strong.

'Every milestone that Freya reaches is that little bit happier, I'm just so grateful she's still here.'

The previous smallest surviving twin born in Britain was in July 2010 to Amanda Staplehurst in Portsmouth to a boy weighing 1lb 4oz. His sister, weighing 1lb 20z also survived.

The 76st family that's cost the NHS £1.2m: (but say that going on a diet isn't an option)

An obese family of three has cost the Health Service more than £1.2million in slimming treatments and weight-loss surgery.

Zaneta Jones, 46, and husband David have both had gastric bypasses and their 17stone son Stanleigh, 15, is due to have his stomach stapled later this year.

At their heaviest, the trio had a combined weight of 76st 10lb.

Supersized family: Zaneta, Stanley and David Jones weighed more than 76stone at their heaviest and insist they feel bad about the cost of their treatment

The £1,235,000 cost of their treatments so far would be enough to fund around 1,000 lumpectomies for suspected breast cancer, or a year’s supply of medication for 1,235 Alzheimer’s patients.

The Government has called for a new approach to tackling obesity, which costs the NHS around £4.2billion a year, including £49million in gastric operations.

But the Jones family claim dieting was not a ‘realistic option’, and believe their obesity is a genetic problem. Their adopted son Liam, 11, is a healthy size.

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Jobless Mrs Jones told Closer magazine: ‘I understand people’s anger because they’re paying for us, but obesity is an illness.

‘We’re not villains – we need NHS support, just like other people who are ill.’

Mr and Mrs Jones, who live near Truro in Cornwall, admit their diet and lifestyle led to their weight gain.

They ate up to 10,000 calories a day in fat-laden fry-ups and super-sized McDonald’s meals, and passed their eating habits on to son Stanleigh.

By the age of four he was eating five Weetabix for breakfast and wearing clothes meant for a 12-year-old. By 13 he weighed 19stone and was diagnosed with borderline diabetes and now takes daily medication.

Big eaters: At her heaviest Mrs Jones weighed 36st 10lbs but has since lost half that, while her son Stanley at one stage was 20st before losing 3st when he began exercising

He suffered from sleep apnoea – a weight-related breathing disorder – since he was four, which required regular treatment costing some £5,000.

At his heaviest, Stanleigh was 20stone, although he has since lost three through exercise. He requested a £14,000 stomach staple to restrict the amount he can eat, and the operation is scheduled for this summer.

Mrs Jones said Stanleigh’s problems started when he was a toddler.

‘I hate myself for letting him eat so much but I couldn’t bear him crying,’ she said. ‘Dieting isn’t a realistic option. I’m scared about him having the op but if he carries on he’ll kill himself.’

Mrs Jones said her own weight problems began as a teenager, and she was a size 22 by the time she was 18. The problems continued after her 1985 wedding to car worker David.

She said: ‘For lunch we’d have egg, sausage and bacon and for dinner we’d eat a large roast and baked apples with lots of sugar.

‘By 8pm we’d be eating a fried egg sandwich. We’d snack on super-sized McDonald’s meals.’

By the time she gave birth to Stanleigh, Mrs Jones weighed 23stone and she was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney failure. She was prescribed up to 29 tablets a day for her weight-related health problems, at a cost of £5,000 a month. She says she took them for 15 years, leaving taxpayers a £900,000 bill.

At her heaviest, the 5ft 3ins woman weighed 36st 10lbs and she struggled to breathe and needed sticks to walk. She said: ‘I tried every diet – I even had my jaw wired twice and lost 10stone.

But I’d start eating again. I feel guilty and embarrassed. I’d love to see every penny spent on me go to treat cancer, but once I got to a certain weight I couldn’t help myself.’

Mrs Jones’ £18,000 gastric bypass helped her drop to 18stone. But this has left her with five stone of excess skin, and she is due to have a £22,000 operation to remove it.

She and her husband have both been treated for sleep apnoea, which has cost the NHS another £5,000 each. Mr Jones, 58, also had high blood pressure and cholesterol after his weight rose to 20stone.

Medication for his weight-related health problems has cost around £290,000. He had a £14,000 gastric bypass last November and is now 14stone.

Mrs Jones added: ‘I accept responsibility for putting on weight, but I couldn’t lose it alone. After Stanleigh has his op we can live a normal life.

‘I can see why people resent the money spent on it, especially if they have an ill relative the NHS is struggling to fund treatment for.’

She added: ‘Perhaps we should pay extra for our health care – but then people who drink or take drugs should too. Obesity is a mental illness and an addiction.’

Emma Boon of the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: ‘Patients are being denied life-saving treatments so it’s staggering that cheaper alternatives aren’t being explored for obesity, like diet and exercise.’

The full interview appears in this week’s Closer magazine, out now.

They left my baby to die in my arms: This mother thought her son had a fighting chance when he was born at 22 weeks. but the hospital staff refused

• Hospital only intervenes with babies born after 24 weeks

Holding her newborn son Tom for the first time, Tracy Godwin marvelled at his eyelashes, and counted every precious finger and toe.

After the drama of his arrival at just 22 weeks, she knew she had a little fighter in her arms.

But at a mere one pound, and battling to breathe, he would need all the help he could get. That help never came.

Broken dreams: Tracy Godwin with a teddy bear she bought for her baby boy, Tom

Not forgotten: Tom was born on March 6 last year and survived for 46 minutes

Forty-six minutes later, and despite her desperate pleas to midwives for assistance, Miss Godwin’s son died as she held him.

She has since been told that the hospital has a policy not to resuscitate babies born earlier than 24 weeks into pregnancy.

Yesterday Miss Godwin, who visits her little boy’s grave every day, told how she is haunted by fears she and her partner didn’t do enough to help their baby when the medics around her refused.

‘They put him in my arms and he cried and was wriggling around. I could feel him breathing and see his eyelashes and fingers and toes,’ she said.

‘But I kept thinking, “Where’s the incubator?” We were begging the midwives to do something to help him but no one was saying anything. He was not stillborn, he was trying to live.

‘If they had tried for an hour and said they couldn’t do anything more for him or he was severely brain damaged, that would have been different, but he wasn’t given a chance.’

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Miss Godwin, 31, had been due to give birth to her first child on July 8 last year. She and her partner of two years were looking forward to becoming a family.

All went well until March 4 when she developed stomach pain and went to Southend Hospital in Essex. There, she was distraught to be told she was already in labour.

Put into a private room, she spent the next day in bed and was told by a doctor it might be possible to use a cervical stitch to prolong the pregnancy.

THE RESUSCITATION RULES

Although the NHS offers guidance on when to resuscitate premature babies, health trusts can decide individually whether or not to follow it.

Under the guidelines, doctors are advised not to try to save those born under 22 weeks as they are too underdeveloped.

Between 22 and 23 weeks it is not thought to be in the child’s best interests but can be done at the parents’ request after discussion of the likely outcomes.

At 23-25 weeks babies are routinely resucitated. Even with expert round-the-clock care, only 1 per cent of 23-weekers survive without disability.

Baby Tom survived for 46 minutes at Southend Hospital maternity wing

Tiny fighter: Little feet in the palm of his mother's hand

DON'T RESUSCITATE, SAYS LEADING DOCTOR

While Southend Hospital chooses not to treat babies born before 24 weeks it is up to individual NHS trusts to decide their own policy on this contentious issue.

Recently a leading NHS official said babies born after just 23 weeks or earlier should be left to die.

Dr Daphne Austin, who advises local health trusts how to spend their budgets, said doctors were ‘doing more harm than good by resuscitating 23-weekers’ and that treatments have ‘very marginal benefit’.

She added only one in 100 grows up without some form of disability. The most common include blindness, deafness and cerebral palsy.

The NHS spends around £10million a year resuscitating babies born this early and keeping them alive on incubators and ventilators.

But in the early hours of March 6 – 22 weeks and two days into her pregnancy – she was in terrible pain and given the painkiller pethedine. Shortly afterwards she was aware of the midwife breaking her waters. She gave birth an hour later.

‘Because of the drug I wasn’t myself and I keep thinking if I hadn’t taken it and withstood the pain, maybe I would have had more fight in me to demand a doctor,’ she said.

‘We never saw one. It was a disgrace. I just kept crying and crying.

‘My partner was shouting at the midwives to help us but they just left us with Tom. We felt so alone, no one was helping us. I don’t know when, but I was suddenly aware Tom had gone.’

His tiny body was blessed by a priest and the couple went home later that day.

It was only four weeks later when they called a meeting with a consultant that Miss Godwin was given the news that resuscitating her baby was against hospital policy.

‘I just couldn’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I had all these questions about what had happened and why, and was just told: “I don’t know, it’s our policy.”

‘When you are pregnant you do not check what your hospital’s policy is on premature babies. To think he could have had a chance if he was born in a different hospital is just heartbreaking. You just assume the doctors will do everything they can to help you live.’

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Miss Godwin said the tragedy led to the couple breaking up some months afterwards.

‘The grief tore us apart,’ she said. ‘We blamed each other for not doing more to put pressure on them to help him. I’m still grieving so much, I visit Tom’s grave every day.’

Miss Godwin, who lives in Southend-on-Sea, is still waiting for an inquest, which can take place only when the hospital submits a report on the incident.

Earlier this month, leading NHS official Dr Daphne Austin said resuscitating babies born under 23 weeks would ‘do more harm than good’ and that the £10million annual cost yielded ‘very marginal benefit’.

Miss Godwin said: ‘We spend a fortune on things like drug addiction. You can’t say £10million is too much when a baby’s life could be saved.’

Sarah Ballard-Smith, director of nursing at Southend Hospital, said: ‘I am very sorry and sad to hear of Miss Godwin’s experience. It is essential to inform the prospective parents regarding the expectation for infant survival. I can only apologise if this was not the case with Miss Godwin.’

Boy, 9, born with no ear is left delighted after surgeons rebuild it using tissue from his ribcage

Born without a right ear, Ethan Giles-Bowman became increasingly shy and self-conscious with each passing year.

He grew his hair long to try and cover up the flap of skin where his ear should have been, but was always aware of the way strangers looked at him.

Now the nine-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life after surgeons created an ear for him using cartilage taken from his ribcage.

Ethan Giles-Bowman has had his hair cut so it no longer hides his ear, after he had one crafted out of his rib cartilage

It was a painful process, but the schoolboy is delighted with the result and proud of his realistic-looking new ear.

His insecurities have disappeared overnight and he immediately had his hair cut short to show it off. He can't wait for summer to come along so he can wear sunglasses on holiday.

Ethan was one of the first children in the UK to undergo the complicated six-hour operation. He has never been able to hear from his right side, but a permanent hearing aid may be fitted in future to give him some hearing.

His rare congenital condition Hemi-facial Goldenhar Syndrome meant his right ear was originally little more than a lobe.

Mother Kathryn Giles-Bowman, 33, from Sheffield, said he has coped with the problem bravely and went to a mainstream junior school.

'Ethan always managed quite well with one ear, it was something he grew up with and he became accustomed to, but obviously it affected him. As he got older he became more aware of it.'

Ethan has Goldenhar Syndrome, which is a rare congenital defect characterized by incomplete development of the ear

Extracting the cartilage was a 'very invasive procedure.' Mrs Giles-Bowman, who owns a beauty salon, said: 'It resulted in Ethan having to put up with a lot of pain and discomfort but he was determined he wanted to do it.

'Now he is fantastic, the first thing he wanted was to have his hair cut shorter, instead of hiding away underneath it and we're getting used to his new look.

'The change in him since then has been enormous. He is now much more outgoing. It is wonderful for me and his father to see him looking so happy and confident.'

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The family knew surgery was an option but they had to wait until he was physically big enough for surgeons to take enough cartilage.

In 2009 their GP recommended top surgeon Greg O’Toole at the Royal Free Hospital in London and the operation was carried out last September.

Mrs Giles-Bowman, who has two other children aged 13 and one, said when the bandages were removed after two days Ethan's face 'lit up.'

'All his friends think it's really cool,' she said.

At the moment the ear looks 'pinned back' and a further operation will be carried out in April to take more cartilage and build up the ear further.

His father Richard Bowman, 41, a joiner, said:'Ethan has had to live with the problem all his life, but he has just got on with things. He has been so brave and I'm sure he will be able to cope with further surgery. The whole family is proud of him.'

As for Ethan, he is overjoyed to no longer stand out from the crowd. 'It's just nice to feel normal now like my friends,' he said.

Everything's okay mum! Unborn baby gives reassuring thumbs up in the womb

A mother-to-be who was worried about her unborn baby was reassured when she had a hospital scan.

For the scan photographs showed an entirely normal baby who was also captured giving the thumbs up.

Expectant mother Donna Sayer, 29, had two scans at a hospital in Canterbury Kent several weeks after becoming pregnant in August.

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Everything's okay: Donna Sayer was surprised to see her unborn baby giving a thumbs up

She and her partner Simon Biscoe became concerned when it appeared their baby's head seemed to be elongated and too small.

But the pair were delighted when they went for their third scan at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

It showed their baby's head had reached a normal size and there were no medical concerns.

But Ms Sayer and the nurses laughed when they realised the baby was giving the thumbs-up.

Miss Sayer from Whitstable said she and her partner were relieved to see their baby was developing normally

Ms Sayer, who is food and beverage manager at Kent County Cricket Club, said today: 'After checking everything was okay. the nurse said she would try to get some more photographs of the baby.

'But it was hiding and all she could get was its hand giving the thumbs-up as if it was trying to tell us that everything was fine. The image was quite clear.

'We had both been concerned during the two weeks before I had the third scan, but everything is okay. We have shown the photograph to family and friends. They all think it is quite apt.'

Donna, from Whitstable, who is due to give birth in May, added: 'Everyone who has seen the picture has been astonished.'

Fay Smith, an ultrasound practitioner at William Harvey Hospital in nearby Ashford, said: 'You see them sucking their thumbs, doing rude gestures, and, in later scans, blinking.

'I often laugh with parents-to-be when babies have got their hands over their private parts!'

I dropped six dress sizes after doctors warned my weight was straining my heart, says new Miss Slinky

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Confession: People thought I was pregnant said Dominique Bellas, 26, from Leigh-on-Sea

A woman who was bullied at school for being overweight has been named Miss Slinky 2011 after losing 8st and dropping six dress sizes in just over a year.

Dominique Bellas, 26, was teased about her size from the age of 10 and weighed more than 19st by August 2009.

She was even mistaken for being pregnant while at her heaviest.

The council worker said she was spurred on to start slimming after her brother was diagnosed with the heart condition left ventricular cardiomyopathy.

The aspiring model and actress was warned by doctors she may also have the disease.

Miss Bellas, of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, said: 'I knew that being overweight was putting extra strain on my heart so I had to do something about it.

'I'd been in denial for so long and it was time to face up to it. On the outside I was confident - perhaps over confident - and always making jokes, but I think that was just my way of hiding the fact that my weight was making me really unhappy.'

Before she joined Slimming World in September 2009, Miss Bellas said her normal diet included peanut butter on toast and a banana for breakfast, two rounds of sandwiches for lunch and creamy pasta dishes or takeaways for dinner.

The former drama student, who attended the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, said her dreams of being a model had been held back by her size.

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But after losing more than 10in from her waist, Miss Bellas said she now hoped to pursue her ambitions.

New start: Miss Bellas said she would love to start modelling after losing 8st in a year

'I had a few successful acting jobs and I was even approached by a modelling agency after they saw my headshot, but I knew that as soon as they realised how heavy I was I wouldn't stand a chance so I didn't pursue it,' she said.

'Now I've lost weight, I've got so much more confidence in the way I look and I'd love to get into modelling.'

Miss Bellas, who works for Lambeth Council in south London, lost the weight by eating a more healthy diet, joining a gym and playing badminton.

She now weighs just over 11st and has gone from a size 24 to a size 12, earning Slimming World's Miss Slinky 2011 award and picking up a £2,000 cash prize.

She said: ;For the first time my confidence is 100% real and I feel good top to toe.

;Even better I know I can stay feeling this way because with Slimming World I've got the tools to stay slim for life - a healthy attitude to food and great support too.

I dropped six dress sizes after doctors warned my weight was straining my heart, says new Miss Slinky

Enlarge

Confession: People thought I was pregnant said Dominique Bellas, 26, from Leigh-on-Sea

A woman who was bullied at school for being overweight has been named Miss Slinky 2011 after losing 8st and dropping six dress sizes in just over a year.

Dominique Bellas, 26, was teased about her size from the age of 10 and weighed more than 19st by August 2009.

She was even mistaken for being pregnant while at her heaviest.

The council worker said she was spurred on to start slimming after her brother was diagnosed with the heart condition left ventricular cardiomyopathy.

The aspiring model and actress was warned by doctors she may also have the disease.

Miss Bellas, of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, said: 'I knew that being overweight was putting extra strain on my heart so I had to do something about it.

'I'd been in denial for so long and it was time to face up to it. On the outside I was confident - perhaps over confident - and always making jokes, but I think that was just my way of hiding the fact that my weight was making me really unhappy.'

Before she joined Slimming World in September 2009, Miss Bellas said her normal diet included peanut butter on toast and a banana for breakfast, two rounds of sandwiches for lunch and creamy pasta dishes or takeaways for dinner.

The former drama student, who attended the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, said her dreams of being a model had been held back by her size.

More...

• This cynical five-a-day myth: Nutrition expert claims we've all been duped

But after losing more than 10in from her waist, Miss Bellas said she now hoped to pursue her ambitions.

New start: Miss Bellas said she would love to start modelling after losing 8st in a year

'I had a few successful acting jobs and I was even approached by a modelling agency after they saw my headshot, but I knew that as soon as they realised how heavy I was I wouldn't stand a chance so I didn't pursue it,' she said.

'Now I've lost weight, I've got so much more confidence in the way I look and I'd love to get into modelling.'

Miss Bellas, who works for Lambeth Council in south London, lost the weight by eating a more healthy diet, joining a gym and playing badminton.

She now weighs just over 11st and has gone from a size 24 to a size 12, earning Slimming World's Miss Slinky 2011 award and picking up a £2,000 cash prize.

She said: ;For the first time my confidence is 100% real and I feel good top to toe.

;Even better I know I can stay feeling this way because with Slimming World I've got the tools to stay slim for life - a healthy attitude to food and great support too.

Real-life horror: First video reveals how malaria parasite invades and destroys human blood cells

A malaria parasite has been caught on camera for the first time breaking and entering human red bloods cell before savagely destroying them from the inside.

The Plasmodium parasite transmits malaria via the bite of infected mosquitoes. The infectious disease kills one million people every year and infects 400million.

Scientists have captured in great detail the moment a malaria carrying parasite invades a human red blood cell

Australian researchers used super resolution microscopy to watch the organism make windows in the walls of the human cells before burrowing through.

The technology provides images at a much smaller scale than normal light microscopes and so could capture the parasite, which is just one millionth of a metre across.

Dr Jake Baum, of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, said: 'The real breakthrough of super resolution microscopy is that it… basically allows you to build a three-dimensional image of cellular processes at very high resolution.

'It's like we've taken CCTV snapshots of thousands and thousands of bank-robberies.'

The results, which are published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, could provide new insights into the molecular and cellular events that drive cell invasion.

'It is the first time we've been able to actually visualise this process in all its molecular glory,' said Dr Baum.

Though scientists have observed the parasite driving its way into cells before, the new technology provides a big leap in the amount of detail they can see.

'One of the most thrilling things we saw was the parasite inserting a ring-shaped protein into the cell wall to make a window through which it climbs.

'You can actually see the parasite climbing through,' Dr Baum said.

The footage also revealed that once the parasite had attached to the red blood cell and formed a tight bond with the cell, a master switch for invasion was initiated and invasion continued unabated without any further checkpoints.

Dr Baum said he had been working towards tracking the parasite for seven years. He hopes the new knowledge will allow scientists new opportunities to 'throw a spanner in the parasite's works'.

He said: 'If, for example, you wanted to test a particular drug or vaccine, or investigate how a particular human antibody works to protect you from malaria, this imaging approach now gives us a window to see the actual effects that each reagent or antibody has on the precise steps of invasion.'

Real-life horror: First video reveals how malaria parasite invades and destroys human blood cells

A malaria parasite has been caught on camera for the first time breaking and entering human red bloods cell before savagely destroying them from the inside.

The Plasmodium parasite transmits malaria via the bite of infected mosquitoes. The infectious disease kills one million people every year and infects 400million.

Scientists have captured in great detail the moment a malaria carrying parasite invades a human red blood cell

Australian researchers used super resolution microscopy to watch the organism make windows in the walls of the human cells before burrowing through.

The technology provides images at a much smaller scale than normal light microscopes and so could capture the parasite, which is just one millionth of a metre across.

Dr Jake Baum, of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, said: 'The real breakthrough of super resolution microscopy is that it… basically allows you to build a three-dimensional image of cellular processes at very high resolution.

'It's like we've taken CCTV snapshots of thousands and thousands of bank-robberies.'

The results, which are published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, could provide new insights into the molecular and cellular events that drive cell invasion.

'It is the first time we've been able to actually visualise this process in all its molecular glory,' said Dr Baum.

Though scientists have observed the parasite driving its way into cells before, the new technology provides a big leap in the amount of detail they can see.

'One of the most thrilling things we saw was the parasite inserting a ring-shaped protein into the cell wall to make a window through which it climbs.

'You can actually see the parasite climbing through,' Dr Baum said.

The footage also revealed that once the parasite had attached to the red blood cell and formed a tight bond with the cell, a master switch for invasion was initiated and invasion continued unabated without any further checkpoints.

Dr Baum said he had been working towards tracking the parasite for seven years. He hopes the new knowledge will allow scientists new opportunities to 'throw a spanner in the parasite's works'.

He said: 'If, for example, you wanted to test a particular drug or vaccine, or investigate how a particular human antibody works to protect you from malaria, this imaging approach now gives us a window to see the actual effects that each reagent or antibody has on the precise steps of invasion.'

Fitness fanatic balloons from size 10 to 18 in weeks after developing tumour on her pituitary gland

• 26-year-old finally diagnosed after five years of tests

Fitness fanatic Kathryn Weir's life turned into a 'living hell' when her weight mysteriously shot up, making her so fat she was ashamed to leave the house.

The sporty 26-year-old, who enjoyed 90-minute sessions in the gym, ballooned from a trim size 10 to a size 18 in the space of a few weeks.

Doctors were baffled when Kathryn Weir, from Widnes, Cheshire, suddenly began to gain weight around her stomach for no apparent reason.

Her face became bloated and swollen and she began to grow dark hairs on her chest and back.

Size matters: Kathryn was healthy before the shock weight gain that 'snapped' her leg bone

Her bones became so brittle that one of her legs 'snapped' when she was on a night out - breaking under her weight.

She was finally diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, a rare tumour on the pituitary gland, after five years of anguish.

The condition, which affects fewer than one in 200,000 people, causes a small tumour to develop next to the pituitary gland,affecting the hormones released into the bloodstream.

Kathryn, who works as a carer for people with disabilities, said: 'Cushing's syndrome has transformed me into a completely different person.

'I'm ashamed to go anywhere or see anyone now. I rarely leave the house.

'I used to take such pride in my appearance - I was devastated when I started gaining weight. My friends tried to save my feelings and didn't say anything, but when we went out, people assumed I was pregnant, because my belly was so huge, but my arms and legs are still very skinny.

'I was mortified when I kept having to tell people I wasn't expecting.

'I couldn't find any clothes to fit me, because my middle was so big but my legs weren't.

'If I don't tie my trousers up with a belt, they fall down because my legs are so much smaller than my bum.

'I wasn't eating any more than normal, and I wasn't exercising any less - but everyone was baffled by my symptoms.

'I couldn't understand what was happening to me - and neither could my doctors.'

Cushing's syndrome also causes 'moon face' symptoms

After five years of tests and hospital visits, Kathryn was diagnosed by doctors at Warrington Hospital in December 2010.

The syndrome affects the amount of Cortisol released into the body, causing major rapid weight gain around the middle.It also makes sufferers' faces bloated and round - known as a 'moon face'.

The tumour can also cause brittle bones or osteoporosis, a condition usually associated with elderly women.

Kathryn is due to have an operation next month in which surgeons are hoping they will be able to remove the tumour and get her life back to normal.

She added: 'I'm really very lucky that I was able to be diagnosed and that surgeons are hopeful that they can cure me.

'It took years for doctors to realise what was wrong with me, but some people never get diagnosed.

'If the tumour had never been spotted, the osteoporosis could have got so bad that it could have killed me.

'I've been in a living hell for the last six years - and it's only now that I can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

'There are times when I've felt like I didn't even want to go to work, because I felt everyone was staring at me.

'But thanks to my family and friends, who have stood by me, I have managed to make it through, and hope that I can go back to being fit and healthy Kathryn soon.'

Fitness fanatic balloons from size 10 to 18 in weeks after developing tumour on her pituitary gland

• 26-year-old finally diagnosed after five years of tests

Fitness fanatic Kathryn Weir's life turned into a 'living hell' when her weight mysteriously shot up, making her so fat she was ashamed to leave the house.

The sporty 26-year-old, who enjoyed 90-minute sessions in the gym, ballooned from a trim size 10 to a size 18 in the space of a few weeks.

Doctors were baffled when Kathryn Weir, from Widnes, Cheshire, suddenly began to gain weight around her stomach for no apparent reason.

Her face became bloated and swollen and she began to grow dark hairs on her chest and back.

Size matters: Kathryn was healthy before the shock weight gain that 'snapped' her leg bone

Her bones became so brittle that one of her legs 'snapped' when she was on a night out - breaking under her weight.

She was finally diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, a rare tumour on the pituitary gland, after five years of anguish.

The condition, which affects fewer than one in 200,000 people, causes a small tumour to develop next to the pituitary gland,affecting the hormones released into the bloodstream.

Kathryn, who works as a carer for people with disabilities, said: 'Cushing's syndrome has transformed me into a completely different person.

'I'm ashamed to go anywhere or see anyone now. I rarely leave the house.

'I used to take such pride in my appearance - I was devastated when I started gaining weight. My friends tried to save my feelings and didn't say anything, but when we went out, people assumed I was pregnant, because my belly was so huge, but my arms and legs are still very skinny.

'I was mortified when I kept having to tell people I wasn't expecting.

'I couldn't find any clothes to fit me, because my middle was so big but my legs weren't.

'If I don't tie my trousers up with a belt, they fall down because my legs are so much smaller than my bum.

'I wasn't eating any more than normal, and I wasn't exercising any less - but everyone was baffled by my symptoms.

'I couldn't understand what was happening to me - and neither could my doctors.'

Cushing's syndrome also causes 'moon face' symptoms

After five years of tests and hospital visits, Kathryn was diagnosed by doctors at Warrington Hospital in December 2010.

The syndrome affects the amount of Cortisol released into the body, causing major rapid weight gain around the middle.It also makes sufferers' faces bloated and round - known as a 'moon face'.

The tumour can also cause brittle bones or osteoporosis, a condition usually associated with elderly women.

Kathryn is due to have an operation next month in which surgeons are hoping they will be able to remove the tumour and get her life back to normal.

She added: 'I'm really very lucky that I was able to be diagnosed and that surgeons are hopeful that they can cure me.

'It took years for doctors to realise what was wrong with me, but some people never get diagnosed.

'If the tumour had never been spotted, the osteoporosis could have got so bad that it could have killed me.

'I've been in a living hell for the last six years - and it's only now that I can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

'There are times when I've felt like I didn't even want to go to work, because I felt everyone was staring at me.

'But thanks to my family and friends, who have stood by me, I have managed to make it through, and hope that I can go back to being fit and healthy Kathryn soon.'

You should have tried this Gordon! Prison worker solves baldness with £15 nanofibre spray

Gordon Ramsay's £30,000 hair transplant has been hailed as a rip off by a prison warder who solved his own baldness - using a £15 spray.

Father-of-three John Banks, 47, was nicknamed Friar Tuck over his lack of hair but instead of resorting to expensive treatment he trawled the high street for a cheaper solution.

He bought a can of Nanofibres, which filled in the empty patches on his head with tiny keratin fibres that clung to his existing hair.

Before spraying his head (above), Mr Banks said he was called 'Friar Tuck' by his friends. He said he is far more confident after using the Nanofibres (below)

Mr Banks from Eastbourne, said: 'It just shows you don't have to be a rich celeb like Gordon Ramsay to cover up your baldness. I was amazed about how quickly the treatment worked; people noticed straight away and gave me compliments.'

The prison worker was 35 when he first began thinning and spent years cutting his hair short and wearing hats in a bid to disguise the growing bald patches at the top and back of his head.

Mr Banks said: 'I used to just grin and bear it when my hair first started falling out, but in the last 3-4 years it's started to come out much more.

'At first I had to cut my hair really short as I didn't want to have one of those awful comb overs.'

But three years ago the patches had grown and people began calling him 'baldy', with some saying he looked like Friar Tuck.

Even his fiance Claire Sharman, 42, joked that she wanted to marry him before he went completely bald.

Prison warder John Banks (pictured with fiancee Claire Sharman) who used a £15 spray from Boots to stop people calling him Friar Tuck

Fed up of trying to cover up his embarrassing condition he turned to the internet for a non-surgical solution to his problem, where he found Nanofibres by Nanogen on sale at Boots.com. It comes in black, brown and grey and costs around £30 for two-months supply.

Mr Banks said: 'My only concern was if it started to come out, especially in the rain. I've been out and about though now and never had any problems even when it's wet. It only comes out when you wash it properly.

'I use it more for going out than work. A lot of people know at work anyway, so it doesn't matter so much there. Plus I wear a cap as a part of my uniform so my head is well covered up.

'But when I go out with Claire I want to look my best for myself and for her.

'At a Christmas party people couldn't believe the difference it makes. They were all taking pictures of the back of my head!'

Enlarge

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay spent £30,000 to thicken his thinning pate. Mr Banks spent just £15 on his own treatment

Mr Banks, who lives with his fiance and step-daughter Holly, nine, and has three sons, aged 18, 19 and 24, says he now has the confidence to walk down the aisle with his girlfriend.

Miss Sharman, who runs a bridal shop, said: 'It sounds harsh but working in my industry for so long I talk to blokes all the time about this and know how much it affects them and how self conscious it makes them.

'Obviously I love John for him, but hair loss ages men so I would like to marry him whilst he's at his best!

'Women use all kinds of make-up and little tricks to make us feel better about ourselves. It's no different to me using hair straighteners or having fake eyelashes on.'

You should have tried this Gordon! Prison worker solves baldness with £15 nanofibre spray

Gordon Ramsay's £30,000 hair transplant has been hailed as a rip off by a prison warder who solved his own baldness - using a £15 spray.

Father-of-three John Banks, 47, was nicknamed Friar Tuck over his lack of hair but instead of resorting to expensive treatment he trawled the high street for a cheaper solution.

He bought a can of Nanofibres, which filled in the empty patches on his head with tiny keratin fibres that clung to his existing hair.

Before spraying his head (above), Mr Banks said he was called 'Friar Tuck' by his friends. He said he is far more confident after using the Nanofibres (below)

Mr Banks from Eastbourne, said: 'It just shows you don't have to be a rich celeb like Gordon Ramsay to cover up your baldness. I was amazed about how quickly the treatment worked; people noticed straight away and gave me compliments.'

The prison worker was 35 when he first began thinning and spent years cutting his hair short and wearing hats in a bid to disguise the growing bald patches at the top and back of his head.

Mr Banks said: 'I used to just grin and bear it when my hair first started falling out, but in the last 3-4 years it's started to come out much more.

'At first I had to cut my hair really short as I didn't want to have one of those awful comb overs.'

But three years ago the patches had grown and people began calling him 'baldy', with some saying he looked like Friar Tuck.

Even his fiance Claire Sharman, 42, joked that she wanted to marry him before he went completely bald.

Prison warder John Banks (pictured with fiancee Claire Sharman) who used a £15 spray from Boots to stop people calling him Friar Tuck

Fed up of trying to cover up his embarrassing condition he turned to the internet for a non-surgical solution to his problem, where he found Nanofibres by Nanogen on sale at Boots.com. It comes in black, brown and grey and costs around £30 for two-months supply.

Mr Banks said: 'My only concern was if it started to come out, especially in the rain. I've been out and about though now and never had any problems even when it's wet. It only comes out when you wash it properly.

'I use it more for going out than work. A lot of people know at work anyway, so it doesn't matter so much there. Plus I wear a cap as a part of my uniform so my head is well covered up.

'But when I go out with Claire I want to look my best for myself and for her.

'At a Christmas party people couldn't believe the difference it makes. They were all taking pictures of the back of my head!'

Enlarge

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay spent £30,000 to thicken his thinning pate. Mr Banks spent just £15 on his own treatment

Mr Banks, who lives with his fiance and step-daughter Holly, nine, and has three sons, aged 18, 19 and 24, says he now has the confidence to walk down the aisle with his girlfriend.

Miss Sharman, who runs a bridal shop, said: 'It sounds harsh but working in my industry for so long I talk to blokes all the time about this and know how much it affects them and how self conscious it makes them.

'Obviously I love John for him, but hair loss ages men so I would like to marry him whilst he's at his best!

'Women use all kinds of make-up and little tricks to make us feel better about ourselves. It's no different to me using hair straighteners or having fake eyelashes on.'

Going up in the world: The baby born in a hospital lift

Baby Natalya Ionna Bunn is a girl destined to reach the heights - after being born in a LIFT.

The fast-rising tot floored her shocked mum when she came along in the elevator at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Natalya emerged as mum Suzy Bunn, 29, was due to be induced because she was 11 days overdue.

Uplifting: Suzy Bunn and baby Natalya with her seven-year-old daughter Alanna and husband Jason

Baby dash: Suzy Bunn felt a contraction as she arrived at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

The mobility specialist had dashed to hospital with husband Jason, 40, a sales executive, after her waters broke.Then came her uplifting experience.

Suzy, from Mattishall, Norfolk, said: 'We were walking across the hospital car park and I thought she was coming.

'We got in the lift to meet the midwife when I had another contraction.

'As the doors opened, a midwife and a nurse were waiting there with a wheelchair but as I moved to get in it, Natalya was born.

'The midwife managed to catch the baby just in time.'

Suzy was back home within six hours of giving birth and proudly showed off the new family member to seven-year-old daughter Alanna.

She said: ' Alanna is a very proud big sister and is telling everyone about her baby sister being born in a lift.

'When Natayla gets married it will definitely be something Jason mentions in the speech.'

Going up in the world: The baby born in a hospital lift

Baby Natalya Ionna Bunn is a girl destined to reach the heights - after being born in a LIFT.

The fast-rising tot floored her shocked mum when she came along in the elevator at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Natalya emerged as mum Suzy Bunn, 29, was due to be induced because she was 11 days overdue.

Uplifting: Suzy Bunn and baby Natalya with her seven-year-old daughter Alanna and husband Jason

Baby dash: Suzy Bunn felt a contraction as she arrived at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

The mobility specialist had dashed to hospital with husband Jason, 40, a sales executive, after her waters broke.Then came her uplifting experience.

Suzy, from Mattishall, Norfolk, said: 'We were walking across the hospital car park and I thought she was coming.

'We got in the lift to meet the midwife when I had another contraction.

'As the doors opened, a midwife and a nurse were waiting there with a wheelchair but as I moved to get in it, Natalya was born.

'The midwife managed to catch the baby just in time.'

Suzy was back home within six hours of giving birth and proudly showed off the new family member to seven-year-old daughter Alanna.

She said: ' Alanna is a very proud big sister and is telling everyone about her baby sister being born in a lift.

'When Natayla gets married it will definitely be something Jason mentions in the speech.'

My baby nearly died when the hospital that failed Lana Ameen sent him home with swine flu

Home safe: Michelle Dyer with son Harvey after his ordeal

Hospital doctors failed to notice that five-week-old Harvey Flanagan had swine flu.

When it was eventually diagnosed at another hospital, they promised his parents they had learned their lesson from the baby’s brush with death.

Yet only days later, Stepping Hill Hospital also failed to diagnose three-year-old Lana Ameen with the swine flu that went on to kill her.

Yesterday, Harvey’s mother Michelle Dyer suggested that Lana had been doubly betrayed by the NHS.

The 24-year-old, whose son has fully recovered, backed Lana’s doctor father in his calls for under-fives to be routinely given the flu jab.

And, referring to the girl’s misdiagnosis, she said: ‘They had been warned [after Harvey’s case], but it happened again just two days after they’d given me assurances.

‘The vaccine costs just a few pounds, but treating a child in intensive care costs thousands. Harvey was critical for eight days, that must have cost £10,000. They’re trying to cut back and save money, but it’s costing them more in the long run.

‘I don’t think it should be down to the Government to decide whether children should have the flu vaccine at all – it should be up to parents. It’s terrible that previously healthy children like Lana can die.’

More...

• Swine flu mother fighting for life may never see daughter she gave birth to while in coma
• British singer Trish Keenan dies of pneumonia after contracting swine flu in Australia
• Grandmother dies from swine flu AFTER she has the jab
• My darling daughter died for the lack of a £6 jab: Grief and anger of swine flu victim's doctor father
• MAIL COMMENT: Flu, hard questions and a father's agony

Harvey had been taken to the hospital, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on December 14 on a GP’s advice after struggling to breathe, but was sent home with indigestion medicine. His condition hadn’t improved the next day, so his parents took him back – but again no one realised how seriously ill he was.

Swine flu tragedy: A £6 flu jab could have saved three-year-old Lana Ameen who had no underlying health problems when she caught the illness

Happy family: Lana's father Zana Ameen hit out and told David Cameron to think again about not offering the swine flu jab to under fives

On the third day they took him to Tameside Hospital, in Ashton-under-Lyne, where swine flu was suspected.

He then spent eight days in intensive care at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. On Christmas Eve, when Lana first fell ill, he was allowed home.

From yesterday's Daily Mail

Miss Dyer claims the head of nursing and midwifery at Stepping Hill assured her the chief executive had reminded A&E staff of the need for vigilance over possible cases. Yet in the early hours of Christmas Day, staff sent home Dr Ameen’s daughter. Lana had a fit later that day, and died on Boxing Day.

This week, Dr Ameen, a registrar, warned that his daughter had died for the sake of a £6 flu jab – for which under-fives are not eligible.

Accusing ministers of restricting the vaccine to save money, he urged them to make it available for youngsters.

Although Harvey would not have been eligible for the vaccine, which is not for children under six months, newborns are protected if their mother received the vaccine while pregnant. But Miss Dyer, a travel agent, says she was never offered it. She and her partner, car salesman Andrew Flanagan, 29, have now been told their three-year-old daughter Amelia can have the jab, however.

This week, experts backed calls for otherwise healthy under-fives to be vaccinated, as happened during last winter’s pandemic.

But the Government’s own medical advisers, who a year ago backed immunisation, continue to say it should be offered only to children with underlying health conditions.

Stepping Hill has insisted Lana received ‘appropriate and timely’ treatment. It has apologised to Harvey’s family and is investigating. It added that the head of nursing did not believe she had given assurances to his parents about extra vigilance for swine flu.

* Flu jabs could be given to under-fives this autumn as part of an overhaul of vaccination policy. Experts are investigating the impact and cost of giving jabs to healthy children and healthy over-50s.

The research is expected to be considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in time for changes next autumn.

If the committee’s advisers recommend an expansion of the seasonal flu programme, health ministers will accept that.

My baby nearly died when the hospital that failed Lana Ameen sent him home with swine flu

Home safe: Michelle Dyer with son Harvey after his ordeal

Hospital doctors failed to notice that five-week-old Harvey Flanagan had swine flu.

When it was eventually diagnosed at another hospital, they promised his parents they had learned their lesson from the baby’s brush with death.

Yet only days later, Stepping Hill Hospital also failed to diagnose three-year-old Lana Ameen with the swine flu that went on to kill her.

Yesterday, Harvey’s mother Michelle Dyer suggested that Lana had been doubly betrayed by the NHS.

The 24-year-old, whose son has fully recovered, backed Lana’s doctor father in his calls for under-fives to be routinely given the flu jab.

And, referring to the girl’s misdiagnosis, she said: ‘They had been warned [after Harvey’s case], but it happened again just two days after they’d given me assurances.

‘The vaccine costs just a few pounds, but treating a child in intensive care costs thousands. Harvey was critical for eight days, that must have cost £10,000. They’re trying to cut back and save money, but it’s costing them more in the long run.

‘I don’t think it should be down to the Government to decide whether children should have the flu vaccine at all – it should be up to parents. It’s terrible that previously healthy children like Lana can die.’

More...

• Swine flu mother fighting for life may never see daughter she gave birth to while in coma
• British singer Trish Keenan dies of pneumonia after contracting swine flu in Australia
• Grandmother dies from swine flu AFTER she has the jab
• My darling daughter died for the lack of a £6 jab: Grief and anger of swine flu victim's doctor father
• MAIL COMMENT: Flu, hard questions and a father's agony

Harvey had been taken to the hospital, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on December 14 on a GP’s advice after struggling to breathe, but was sent home with indigestion medicine. His condition hadn’t improved the next day, so his parents took him back – but again no one realised how seriously ill he was.

Swine flu tragedy: A £6 flu jab could have saved three-year-old Lana Ameen who had no underlying health problems when she caught the illness

Happy family: Lana's father Zana Ameen hit out and told David Cameron to think again about not offering the swine flu jab to under fives

On the third day they took him to Tameside Hospital, in Ashton-under-Lyne, where swine flu was suspected.

He then spent eight days in intensive care at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. On Christmas Eve, when Lana first fell ill, he was allowed home.

From yesterday's Daily Mail

Miss Dyer claims the head of nursing and midwifery at Stepping Hill assured her the chief executive had reminded A&E staff of the need for vigilance over possible cases. Yet in the early hours of Christmas Day, staff sent home Dr Ameen’s daughter. Lana had a fit later that day, and died on Boxing Day.

This week, Dr Ameen, a registrar, warned that his daughter had died for the sake of a £6 flu jab – for which under-fives are not eligible.

Accusing ministers of restricting the vaccine to save money, he urged them to make it available for youngsters.

Although Harvey would not have been eligible for the vaccine, which is not for children under six months, newborns are protected if their mother received the vaccine while pregnant. But Miss Dyer, a travel agent, says she was never offered it. She and her partner, car salesman Andrew Flanagan, 29, have now been told their three-year-old daughter Amelia can have the jab, however.

This week, experts backed calls for otherwise healthy under-fives to be vaccinated, as happened during last winter’s pandemic.

But the Government’s own medical advisers, who a year ago backed immunisation, continue to say it should be offered only to children with underlying health conditions.

Stepping Hill has insisted Lana received ‘appropriate and timely’ treatment. It has apologised to Harvey’s family and is investigating. It added that the head of nursing did not believe she had given assurances to his parents about extra vigilance for swine flu.

* Flu jabs could be given to under-fives this autumn as part of an overhaul of vaccination policy. Experts are investigating the impact and cost of giving jabs to healthy children and healthy over-50s.

The research is expected to be considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in time for changes next autumn.

If the committee’s advisers recommend an expansion of the seasonal flu programme, health ministers will accept that.