Trina Stewart is bringing something truly unique to this year’s Courage on the Catwalk.
She was born with a rare blood condition, and will be the first model with a non-malignant blood disorder to apear on the runway at the Beach Ballroom events next month.
Mrs Stewart, 48, was originally diagnosed with beta thalassemia intermedia at the age of six months, while she was living in her home country of Cyprus.
She has required treatment ever since and recognises this will continue for the rest of her life.
Hence her visits to the haematology clinic in the Anchor Unit every five weeks to receive regular blood transfusions to combat dangerously low levels of haemoglobin in her blood.
Mrs Stewart, who works as a taxi driver for the Anna Ritchie special school in Peterhead, is the only patient in the north-east with the disorder, which she admits can feel lonely at times.
But she said: “I keep the doctors on their toes. Because of the disorder and the side effects of the medication, I have a consultant for my blood, one for my eyes, one for my ears and another for my heart.
“So the hospital is a bit like a second home for me.”
One of the main symptoms of her condition is extreme fatigue, and she becomes short of breath easily. The regular blood transfusions leave her with excess iron in her body, which has to be balanced.
This is done through chelation therapy, and means, every second night, for 12 hours, she must self-administer medicine using a pump and needle.
Mrs Stewart, who is married to Alexander, has grown used to making the hourly drive for all her appointments in the Anchor Unit, but insists the friendliness of the staff have helped her on her journey.
She said: “Everyone in the team is very open and warm, and you know there’s somebody there who you can talk to if you feel the need to talk.
“I have been through bad patches and no one can say they know exactly how you feel, because every person is unique, including me.
“With attending ARI for appointments for 40 years now, I have watched the changes over the years and the mounting pressure on the health service.
“I have genuinely seen first-hand how Friends of Anchor helps relieve some of that pressure for the nursing staff and doctors.”