SHE’S been stared at, pointed at and whispered about, but 14-year-old Krystal Marshall from Taree has learnt to take it in her stride.
In almost every way she is just like the other teenagers her age who go to school, live with their family and have aspirations for the future.
But a heart condition, which has seen her undergo two operations so far, restricts many aspects of life that so many others take for granted.
The two operations, the most recent 12 months ago, have left the teenager with a scar down the front of her body, which is high enough for people to see as she walks down the street.
It can be hard to be different, especially when people who don’t know you look at you, stare and point as you walk by.
Her mum Tracey Crutcher, frustrated by the reactions, said she has taken to asking people “Are you right?” as they point and stare at her daughter.
Five days after she was born, Krystal was diagnosed with a combination of VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) and Pulmonary Stenosis which means her heart has to work a lot harder than most.
She gets tired and on days when she does sport and PE at her school, she tires even more quickly.
She tried dance classes but was unable to continue, but said she does enjoy swimming.
“I get short of breath quickly and before the surgery it used to affect my sleeping as well,” said Krystal.
She goes to bed early, around 7pm or earlier and cannot have a lot of cold medicine.
The year nine student was six months old when she had her first operation, was in hospital for a year after her birth and was 12 months old before she started to grow.
An operation a year ago saw her pulmonary valve replaced with a Teflon valve, an artificial valve pioneered by Dr Nunn, who conducted the surgery.
However there may be another need for surgery down the track as the tissue around the valve is tearing.
The last time she went in for surgery, it meant three weeks away from home for Krystal and her mother, and saw Tracey sleeping with her at the Westmead Children’s Hospital, as there were no vacancies at Ronald McDonald House.
Tracey’s husband Richard Crutcher stayed home with daughters Stephanie Marshall (who has a heart murmur herself), and Olivia Crutcher.
The family life was in upheaval for about six months though as Krystal and her mother travelled to Sydney to see specialists and decide whether surgery was required.
As well as being hard on the family emotionally due to constant time apart, it is hard financially.
They did receive assistance from IPTAS (Isolated Patients Transport and Accommodation Service), which provides subsidies for travel and accommodation expenses.
Tracey said having a health condition like this can make you a stronger person.
She describes her daughter as someone who has always been strong and who gets out there and tries new things.
Now she is older Krystal is able to monitor her own health and knows when she doesn’t feel well or is short of breath.
In the future she wants to do something with HeartKids (see information box) and help others.
She thinks it’s very important that people going through heart problems can talk to people who have had the same experience, because many doctors haven’t.
“They don’t exactly know what we go through,” she said.