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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 's Australian Story

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Australian Story is a TV series that has journalists interviewing people who are considered to have or who inspire other people in their lives. In the 18 years on air, the program has received accolades for its unique personal approach and has gained a strong following from audiences around the nation. Understanding that the Australian Story brief demands “Unique stories that feature fascinating characters and original storylines with unexpected 'twists and turns ' and compelling visuals,” I am proposing a candidate on whom the Australian Story team could base a future episode.

This person is someone who has given much of her life to the hospital. She now wants to give back to people who have …show more content…

She was born with Tricuspid Atresia, Vetricula Steptum Defect, along with a Mirtral valve defect and numerous other medical issues. Tricuspid Atresia is a complex heart defect that occurs when the right ventricle in the heart fails to develop correctly during development in the womb. In Smilie’s case, it caused her to have little to no function in the right ventricle of the heart. To save Smilie’s life, doctors at the Prince Charles Hospital preformed a 3-stage surgery over 2 years to redirect blood flow within her body. Smilie had the BT Shunt at a few days old, the Hemi Fontan at 6 months old and the Fenestrated Fontan completed at 2 years of age. Smilie now has Hyploplastic Right Heart Syndrome as a result, which is a generalised term used to encompass the many conditions that can cause a lack of development in the Right Ventricle Side of the heart.

Smilie also had lots of developmental issues, growth issues and extensive speech delay problems and was diagnosed with a submucosal Cleft Palate. This is when the upper palate of the mouth fails to develop correctly leaving a hole covered by skin on the roof of the mouth. This had led to speech and feeding issues. Smilie had surgery to correct this at the age of four. Lastly, she was recently diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, which is a very fast heartbeat and incorrect rhythm of the heart. If left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and the need to for a heart transplant. The cause is not

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