Teenage footballer wants her heart defect to inspire others

Mia’s team mates and her coaches at Glasgow City have been very supportive.

She now uses her heart defect as motivation and hopes she can help inspire others.

“I’ve never really thought about it but now I feel like it’s a bit of extra motivation to prove to everyone that’s younger than me going through the same thing that you can do anything,” she said.

“I just hope that if they are seeing it’s helping them and making them feel better in any way.

“It doesn’t define you, it’s just part of your life, you’re just a little bit different. But not really, different, no one needs to know if they don’t want to.

“Don’t let it define you, you can do anything.”

Mia dreams of playing football for Scotland and wants to keep working to do the best she can. For now, she is focusing on recovery.

Senior Charge Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children, Louise Bell said: “Mia is unstoppable and we loved her on the ward recently as she brightened our day.

“Nothing was too much for her. She took it all in her stride.”