A FIVE-year-old girl has decided to donate her birthday gifts to help children with heart problems all around the world.

Emma Pettigrew, from Freshfield Street in Brighton, is devoted to her brother Alex, who was born with multiple heart defects and had four life-saving heart operations in the first year of life.

Rather than accepting presents or money this year for her fifth birthday on March 5, she decided instead to ask for donations to help children all over the world suffering with heart problems.

Their mother, Sonya Pettigrew, said: “She loves her brother so much.

“Initially she wanted to buy lots of presents to give to children with heart conditions instead of receiving them herself.

“But we came to an agreement that raising money to fund people who support these children would be best.”

Emma, who goes to St Luke’s Primary school, decided to support doctors around the world that help children in similar situations to what Alex was in when he was a baby.

She said: “When my brother Alex was a baby he had a broken heart, and the doctors fixed it, and they were really helpful and he could go and see them whenever he needed to.

“He is very kind and helpful and I would be very sad if he was not my big brother, I love him very much.

“His doctor goes away sometimes and fixes other children’s hearts who need help, so I would like to help him do that.”

The family have set up a Justgiving page to encourage donations for Chain of Hope, a charity that provide children from developing countries affected by life-threatening heart conditions with the medical treatment needed to save their lives.

Sonya said: “The doctors volunteering for this charity go in their spare time to sort out these children’s hearts. Alex’s doctor volunteers for them so we thought it was an appropriate charity to choose. Emma is a remarkable girl, she’s kind and empathetic, she just gets it.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emmaschainofhope.