SHE IS a little bundle of joy who has brought so much happiness to her family.

Yet had it not been for the blood donations of strangers, Jasmine Tanner would never have entered the world.

Before she had taken her first breath, opened her eyes or enjoyed her first cuddle with mum and dad Melanie and Duncan, Jasmine had already had 11 blood transfusions in the womb.

One year on and the only evidence of this baby’s battle for survival are the scars where she received the life saving transfusions.

Melanie, from Warsash, suffered from Haemolytic disease which means the unborn child develops anaemia.

If left untreated Jasmine would have died from heart failure but the condition was detected at nine weeks and Jasmine began receiving vital fortnightly blood transfusions from 16 weeks.

At 34 weeks Jasmine was delivered by caesarean by Southampton General Hospital’s foetal medical team and was immediately taken to intensive care, where she received a further three blood transfusions.

Now one year on and Jasmine is a happy, healthy sister to brothers Ryan, six and Owen, four.

Melanie, 34, a nurse, urged others to become blood donors.

She said: “Without those people who generously donate their blood we wouldn’t have Jasmine here with us today and we would have missed out on the most beautiful little girl.

“We are so lucky that Jasmine had access to the blood she needed and we will forever be thankful to those people who gave her life. I will always be in their debt, whoever they are.”