Viagra keeping 7-year-old Natalie alive!

London, Sep 2: A seven-year-old girl who suffers a rare illness is breathing life because of Viagra. Touted as the ultimate libido-booster for men, Viagra is keeping alive Natalie Archibald. She is being given four doses of Viagra per day. When Natalie collapsed after opening her presents on Christmas Day two years ago, the doctors thought that she was suffering from over-excitement.

However, she was later diagnosed with the lung condition primary pulmonary hypertension and was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. That's when doctors prescribed Viagra for her treatment, and it seems that this drug to cure male impotence is proving a saviour for her. Natalie was suffering from a progressive disorder that causes abnormally high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs. The Viagra works by opening the arteries and improving the blood flow.

In fact, her mother Janis, was surprised to learn the nature of the treatment that saved her daughter's life.

"I've never seen her so happy. She can run, jump, skip, all the things her friends do. We have a wheelchair for her if she gets exhausted, but we've never had to use it, and I hope she grows out of it before we need to," the Telegraph quoted her, as saying.

Janis, 48, sacrificed her job as a legal secretary to take care of her daughter after she began collapsing or turning blue on a regular basis following the first incident in 2006.

Thanks to the drug, Natalie now does not experience any fainting episodes, even though the condition remains potentially fatal.

ANI