Disabled teen to become runway model

A teenager who was born with one hand, four kidneys and a debilitating stomach condition is fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a catwalk model.

Maryelen Loughran, 15, eats through a tube and has crippling arthritis but beat thousands of other girls to win a place in the final of a national modelling contest.

Maryelen – who weighed under 2lbs at birth – suffers from Motility Syndrome, a rare condition that prevents her stomach digesting food correctly.

She must drag the specialist feeding equipment everywhere she goes.

But despite her physical disabilities, Maryelen is now in the final heat of Teen Princess UK after being spotted by a fashion scout at the Clothes Show.

Maryelen, who lives in Birmingham, said: ‘I’m a real girly girl and I love my clothes so I decided to go to the Clothes Show and have a look around when I was approached by a photographer from Teen Princess.

‘He took some photos and then he posted them to us and I though why not give it a go – you have to have a positive outlook on life and can’t be scared to try new things.’

The teen, who will undergo major surgery in May to repair her gastric tubes, added: ‘To be honest the idea of becoming a model had never crossed my mind but now I took the plunge and went for it – I reckon it it would be great to win.

Read more and see more pictures: Teenager born with one hand and four kidneys set to become catwalk model 

Ty Pennington makes teen’s dream come true [Video]

He’s the star of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and on Saturday, he was a teen girl’s dream come true. They met at the Denver Home Show thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The big day was for 13-year-old Deana Elhit, who got to meet Ty Pennington.

“How he changes people’s lives,” Deana said. “How the house is all ruined and then all new.”

Deana has rare heart condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy. She was diagnosed at 6 years old and received a heart transplant 2 1/2 years ago. Then her father had the same surgery less than 2 months later.

One of the side effects is extreme bloating. She tires easily and she’s often in so much pain she can’t stand or walk. But all of that didn’t matter when she got to meet Pennington.

“The fact that they want to meet me is the ultimate flatterer,” Pennington said. “I mean of all the people you know, I’m just kind of honored.”

Deana thought Pennington was a little taller and a little skinnier in person.

Read more and watch this story: Ty Pennington Makes Teen’s Wish Come True

Surgeon has heart attack while operating but finishes surgery

An Italian doctor completed a brain operation despite having a heart attack after realizing his patient would never recover if he stopped the surgery.

Surgeon Claudio Vitale started feeling pains in his chest half way through the operation but refused to stop despite his team’s urging and the pain worsening.

After finishing the surgery, the doctor had an angioplasty operation to treat his attack.

Vitale insists he’s not a hero, but that he couldn’t leave the patient “at such a delicate moment.”

Both doctor and patient are recovering.

Read more: Walk it off, it’s only a heart attack