Zee Makuwaza, from Nelspruit, South Africa (left), has been diagnosed with an atrioventricular septal defect, which means there are three holes in her heart so it leaks and blood flows to her lungs. She needs open-heart surgery as soon possible to close the three holes in her heart and stop it from leaking blood. Doctors have warned her parents,Lorraine Muchapa, 31, and Inocent Makuwaza, 32 (pictured inset and right) she needs the procedure in 8 weeks or she will become inoperable. But the hospital waiting list is too long, so the family's only option is to pay for it privatetly. Mrs Muchaba is putting all her efforts into raising money for the £13,406 ($20,000) operation. She said: 'Zee's smile will just melt your heart - everyone who looks at her falls in love. But now she is in so much pain. We are very desperate.'

Brothers Kian and Callum Jarram, seven and 11, from Syston, Leicestershire, were born with Adams Oliver syndrome, which so rare that it only affects 125 people in the world. Their father Jon, 35, is also a sufferer. It causes premature growth of hands and feet, leaving them without some fingers and stumps for feet (their stumps are pictured with their fathers, bottom right). Now, they have been fitted with silicone prosthetic feet (bottom right) after Mr Jarram set up a fundraising campaign to cover the £8,000 cost. This means the boys - who are die-hard football fans - will be able to walk comfortable and play their favourite sport without their stumps becoming sore and painful. Mr Jarram said: 'Both the boys and myself are so grateful, it just means so much to them and it really will be life-changing. This really will give the boys the best Christmas that they could ever ask for.'

Jan Hornsby, 49, from Cornwall, visited New York (left), snorkelled in the Maldives (inset) and spent time with her three sons (right) after being told her Hodgkin Lymphoma was terminal. But a new drug trial has shrank it by 70 per cent and offered hope she can be cured in the future with a stem cell transplant. She now hopes she will one day be rid of the disease, with her next operation due in the start of the New Year. 'I feel so much better now and my last scan showed the cancer had reduced by 70 per cent. I was absolutely ecstatic,' she said.

Stephanie Arnold, from Chicago, suffered an amniotic fluid embolism during a C-section to deliver her son Jacob, pictured left with his mother. The 41-year-old's heart stopped beating and she was clinically dead. Yet, after 37 long seconds doctors revived the mother-of-two, bringing her back to life and transferring her to intensive care, top right. Now, 43, Mrs Arnold claims it was her premonition of what was about to happen to her, that alerted doctors to her fate. She told Daily Mail online she experienced six detailed vision of dying in childbirth during her pregnancy. She said: 'If you sense something, say something. It's so important - even if you think you are crazy. It's better to speak up because it could save your life.'

Natalie Whitefox, 27, from Hunsworth, West Yorkshire, said it was 'beyond all my dreams' to have 16-month-old Heidi and Halle as bridesmaids as she exchanged vows with husband Ross at her winter wonderland-themed ceremony. Doctors had said the mother-of-three, who had previously suffered two ectopic pregnancies and four miscarriages, wouldn't be able to give birth to the twins (pictured in hospital inset in August 2013) after both her fallopian tubes. However, against all the odds, the girls survived and attended the wedding alongside their big brother, Harry.

'Vargic's Miscellany of Curious Maps: Mapping Out the Modern World', features colourful maps which shows that Russia has the biggest average breast size, at as a D-cup. Large parts of Asia including China, South Korea and Thailand have the smallest penis measurements, averaging 4.5 inches and 11.4cm, while men in Sudan, the Democratic of Congo and Columbia and Hungary in Europe are shown to have the biggest, typically 6.5 inches and 16.5cm in length.

Carly Humbert, a beauty blogger from Denver, Colorado, reveals her terrible experience in a detailed YouTube video. She noticed her skin breaking out in painful red pimples just two days after the IUD insertion. After three trips to the dermatologist, she finally had the IUD removed and went on Accutane to clear up her skin.

'Prostate cancer cells can spread to the bones and cause a dull persistent ache in the lower back. As I'd been nursing a back pain for several weeks, I was convinced that, at the age of 54, I'd become yet another bleak NHS statistic,' writes ANDREW PIERCE.

Lola Dyer, eight, of Manchester, suffers from cold urticaria. Her reaction to low temperatures and icy conditions is so severe she can suffer potentially-fatal anaphylactic shock. Every morning Lola puts on her uniform straight from the radiator, then wraps up in thermal clothing, with thick socks, gloves, a scarf and balaclava (right) before walking the 15 minute journey to school. Yet, her body still erupts in hives if she is exposed to cold temperatures (centre). Her mother, Katie, 32 (left), is concerned the allergy could kill her. She said: 'If she was drenched by a cold puddle from a passing car, or accidentally fell into a cold lake, she could go into anaphylactic shock. If left untreated, her allergy could kill her. As her mum it scares me. I hate seeing my daughter suffering.'

Jody Robson, 24, from Birmingham (left and bottom right), believes she has Kleine Levin Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that means people sleep for days or weeks on end. She says she fell into a trance-like state the day before the birth of her son Harley, now six (top right). She gave birth naturally in the trance (top right), as she was technically awake but unable to respond to nurses. Immediately afterwards, she fell asleep, waking up two weeks later with a child and had no recollection of how he came into the world. She said: 'It upsets me because I don't remember giving birth and it's supposed to be a precious moment. I think that's the most upsetting episode I ever had. It gets me emotional because I missed it.' Mrs Robson has also slept through Christmas and nearly missed her wedding day.

Karen Sharpe, 37, lost more than 11 stone after changing her lifestyle, adopting a healthy diet and regularly doing exercise. The mother-of-four, from Leicester, had found it difficult to walk (left) due to her huge frame. She sought advice from her doctor who offered to put her on the waiting list for gastric band surgery but she feared she would miss too much of her children growing up (pictured inset with daughter Megan) so started Weight Watchers. Her healthy eating and regular exercise has seen her drop 10 dress sizes and is now a healthy size 12/14. 'My life in unrecognisable now,' she said. 'I can play football and run around after my children instead of sitting on a bench watching them.'

Scyra Alexander, 32, from Cardiff, suffered years of chronic back and neck pain because of her large chest (left, inset) - and was forced to wear size 20 shirts on her size 12 frame. She said: 'It made me look very disproportionate. Even when I was 14 years old I would have to wear two bras to school.' Ms Alexander was also forced to spend more than £600 a year on massages and therapy for the pain the extra weight gave her. Today, she said the NHS-funded surgery she underwent in September (she is pictured right after the op) has completely changed her life. She said: 'Once I got past the surgery aches, the back, neck and shoulder pain pretty much stopped overnight. The results are amazing.'

Zoubair Lahdodi, 18, from Morocco, underwent seven surgeries at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. The growth was caused by a venous malformation - abnormalities in the blood vessels. But today, after seven major surgical procedures in New York, Zoubair is preparing to return home to Morocco, the majority of the growth removed from his face. Zoubair's father, Abderrahmane, a taxi driver, was unable to pay for his son to fly to America for the life-saving surgery. So, the Waner Foundation, a charity which helps children in need of life-changing surgeries, brought Zoubair to New York to be treated by vascular plastic surgeon, Dr Milton Waner.