In Leicester, East Midlands, England, a pioneering surgery was performed on 8-year-old Vanellope Wilkins, the only known British survivor of ectopia cordis. That’s a rare condition where the heart develops outside the chest. On top of that, Vanellope is autistic and nonverbal. A team of surgeons, including specialists from London, undertook a never-before-attempted procedure to relocate and protect her heart by reconstructing her ribcage. The operation was a 9-hour procedure that required a heart-lung bypass and more. The good news is... it was successful and marked a milestone in British medical history. Vanellope’s mom Naomi said she looks forward to reuniting her daughter with her siblings at home.