The Purakanui 7-month old was flown to Starship Hospital in Auckland for life-saving heart surgery and her parents, Vicky and Tom MacDonald, could not be happier.
‘‘At the time, we were terrified, because we had no idea what was going on with Janneke. She was only 2 weeks old - we were an absolute mess.
‘‘When we got there, her heart was starting to fail. It was a horrible, horrible time but Starship made it bearable,'' Mrs MacDonald said.
Looking at Janneke's heartmelting smiles, you would never imagine she had Turner Syndrome - a condition that caused a narrowing of her aorta, leaving her heart struggling to pump blood around her tiny body.
Within days of diagnosis, Janneke was rushed to Starship in Auckland via the Air Retrieval Service.
Now she will grow up to be one of the Starship Foundation's greatest advocates, along with her parents, as the faces of the hospital's fundraising campaign in the South.
Mrs MacDonald said she was happy to oblige, whe asked.
‘‘We were grateful. It was a small way to show our appreciation for all they had done for us,'' she said.
Janneke models Starship's designer T-shirts every chance she gets. Thousands are being sold at The Warehouse to raise funds for the foundation's air retrieval service, which airlifts more than 200 young patients each year, including 22 from Otago and Southland.
‘‘The air retrieval service was amazing. They had a specialised doctor and nurse who were very reassuring and looked after our whole family on the journey.
‘‘They also helped to reassure Janneke and her sister [Isla (23-months old)], who were terrified, by giving them teddy bears and food on the journey,'' she said.
Six new custom T-shirt designs are available in sizes infant to 16 years, and will retail for between $15 and $18. The Starship Foundation gets $5 from every T-shirt sold.
