She was given just weeks to live at the age of four – now Kirsty Howard has celebrated turning 16.
The inspirational teenager celebrated the landmark birthday with her family and celebrity friends at a glitzy bash last in Manchester city centre night. Kirsty, who spearheaded a campaign to raise £5m for Francis House children’s hospice, was joined by Salford singer Russell Watson and TV presenter Chris Tarrant.
They partied away at the Suede Nightclub on Longworth Street. Kirsty, from Wythenshawe, was given the night off from studying for her GCSEs at Newall Green High. The celebrations marked another stage in an incredible journey.
Kirsty was born in 1995 with her heart back-to-front – a condition so rare it didn’t even have a name. Her parents were told she had just six weeks to live. Incredibly, that prognosis remains the same even today. Kirsty went on to raise huge sums for Francis House in Didsbury – a place she and her family have used numerous times. She has met scores of famous people from prime ministers to David Beckham, who she famously walked out with to help open the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. And even though Kirsty is now focusing on her schoolwork, she proved she still had a heart of gold – by using the birthday bash to raise cash for the K Club, set up to support Francis House.
The party had a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme – and Kirsty described it as ‘incredible’.