A REDDITCH mum will be braving a skydive next month for a charity doing life-saving work.

Michelle Powell will be taking a leap of faith to help raise cash for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), after it helped saved the life of her baby daughter.

Freya Powell was born on December 5 2013.

She had to have life-saving open-heart surgery when she was just six days old.

Mum Michelle said: "All seemed fine after the birth and we were transferred to the maternity ward at Birmingham Women's Hospital.

"They performed an oxygen saturation test which came back low. They repeated test and was still low. She was taken away from me and rushed to neonatal for tests which showed a narrowed aorta.

"She would have to undergo open-heart surgery to survive."

Freya was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital where she was kept on drips keeping her alive until she built up the strength for the potentially dangerous surgery.

At six days old an anxious Michelle was told her baby was ready for surgery.

Michelle said: "The surgery was successful and they found she had hole in heart too which was repaired. She spent six days in intensive, care most of the time all wired up and on ventilator and with a chest drain fitted. She was then taken back to the high dependency unit.

"After a week there she was transferred to the Alexandra Hospital. She remained there for 10 days until she was finally allowed home after what seemed like a very long month in hospital."

She added: "Now she is a bright, beautiful, determined three-year-old.

"This wouldn't of been possible if it wasn't for the amazing research and work BHF do. So I want to do this skydive to raise money to help further research even more."

The skydive is on September 9.

For more information or to donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-powell8.