Good start to the school year?

Most definitely. Maisy Vignes, 4, has impressed her teachers at Holly Cross Primary School. She was born without a drop of blood in her body but has gone on to make a full recovery.

Sounds like a rare condition?

Maisy was born in December 2009 in County Waterford, Ireland, with a haemoglobin level of zero and had only a thin plasma substance in her veins.

Her blood supply had been entirely absorbed into the body of her mother, Emma, who had to have a Caesarean section six weeks early after it was feared her baby could be brain damaged.

"There were cases recorded of people surviving with a haemoglobin level of four, but for any human to survive after having no blood at all was unheard of," she said.

Must have been touch and go?

Maisy remained in intensive care for two weeks during which she had to undergo three blood transfusions and a platelet transfusion.

Medical marvel?

"As far as I know there have been no other cases like Maisy's recorded anywhere in the world," said Emma.

She added that her daughter has now become the topic of lectures and journal articles. Similar conditions usually happen as a result of a trauma during pregnancy but Emma said her pregnancy was fine until she experienced swelling at 34 weeks.

The doctors believe that the membranes in the womb could have rubbed together to cause a rupture, resulting in Emma absorbing her daughter's blood.

Full recovery