A woman who was almost killed in a 60mph car crash during a Valentine's Day getaway discovered when she was rushed to hospital that she had suffered from a life-threatening condition her entire life.

Megan Jones, 27, almost died when she was involved in a head-on collision when driving through in Scarborough with partner, Steven Campbell, 30.

But it was only when she rushed to hospital with a fractured sternum that she found out she had a 50 pence piece-sized hole in her heart that meant she could have suffered heart failure later in life.

Megan, who is from Meols, Wirral, told the Liverpool Echo : “I was so lucky to have the car crash. If it wasn’t for the doctors finding out about my heart problem, then they said that I would have had heart failure later on in life.

Megan Jones was in a car crash that almost killed her but also saved her life (
Image:
Megan Jones)

“Because of my condition, my heart was also enlarged. It was great that they found it when they did because, if it was left any longer, then my heart would have been so enlarged and so weak that they wouldn’t have been able to treat it.”

Megan was diagnosed with the congenital heart disease (CHD) Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) which is often referred to as a hole in the heart and told she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the problem.

The surgery carried its own risks itself, including memory loss, a stroke, lung and kidney failure, and even death, but Megan went ahead and the operation was a success.

She continued: "I kind of take things as they come. I’m not a worrier, as such, and I tried not to over think it, because worrying gets you nowhere. I was more bothered about my mum and dad because they were so concerned.

Megan is proud of the large scar on her chest (
Image:
Megan Jones)
Megan's experience has inspired some of her friends and family to go to the doctors about their own health (
Image:
Megan Jones)

“When I first found out there was a problem, I did cry. I had to go for tests the night after the crash and my boyfriend and cousin had been discharged, so I was on my own in hospital waiting for my parents to get there.

“It felt like it was just one thing after another but the doctors were really nice and looked after me.”

Megan had the operation a year after the crash on March 13 at Manchester Royal Infirmary. She was discharged after five days and, a week later, she was at a concert.

She said: “I hate hospitals so much, so I was relieved when I was discharged and got to go home after five days.

“My operation was on the Monday and I was home by the Saturday. Then, a week later, I went to a gig. It was only a folk concert so I was okay, I wasn’t in a mosh pit or anything!”

Megan underwent an operation in March more than a year after the crash (
Image:
Megan Jones)

Megan works as a legal secretary for Emerald Law, in Liverpool. After her operation, she took ten weeks off and then returned to work full-time.

The surgery left her with a large vertical scar down the centre of her chest but she didn’t let it get her down.

She said: “It looks a bit bumpy and ugly at the moment but I am not at all self-conscious - in fact, I’m really proud of it.

“It’s not anyone else’s problem to judge or say anything about my scar - and why should they?”

Even though she was unaware she was suffering from the condition, Megan has noticed the difference the operation has made.

Megan and boyfriend Steven were both in the 60mph crash (
Image:
Megan Jones)

She said: "It’s weird because I didn’t know there was something wrong, my oxygen levels and blood pressure were all fine. But, with there being a murmur, my heart was overcompensating, making it enlarged, and I can completely tell because I can’t see my heart beating through my chest anymore.

“I’ve also noticed that I used to take deep breaths all of the time without realising, but I’m breathing normally now.

“Since my operation, I’ve put on weight and everyone has been saying that I look a lot healthier.”

Her experience has inspired some of her friends and family to go to the doctors about their own health - and to get checked over for any underlying heart problems.

She said: “Because no-one had any idea about my heart, a lot of my family and friends have become paranoid and gone to the doctors to get themselves checked out.

“It’s good in a way, because it has made more people aware of heart conditions.”