A 24-year-old woman has given birth in London after doctors restored her fertility using frozen ovary tissue removed when she was 9 years old.

Moaza Al Matrooshi, whose son was delivered on Tuesday, told the BBC: “It’s like a miracle. We’ve been waiting so long for this result — a healthy baby.”

She is believed to be the first woman in the world to have a baby after having an ovary frozen before the onset of puberty.

Matrooshi was born with an inherited blood disorder called beta thalassaemia, which is fatal if not treated. The condition required a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy, which damages the ovaries.

Before the procedure, when she was just 9, doctors removed her right ovary and froze the tissue.

Last year, surgeons in Denmark transplanted several small pieces of the ovarian tissue back into Matrooshi’s body.

To maximize the chance of conceiving, Matrooshi and her husband underwent IVFtreatment.

Three embryos were produced, two of which were implanted earlier this year.

Matrooshi said that through it all, she never gave up hope that she would have this baby. “I always believed that I would be a mum and that I would have a baby,” she said. “I didn’t stop hoping and now I have this baby — it is a perfect feeling.”

Her doctor, Sara Matthews, a consultant in gynecology and fertility, said she is overjoyed for the family and said the success of the procedure will give hope to other girls and young women who risk losing the chance of motherhood as a result of treatment for cancer, blood or immune disorders.

“This is a huge step forward,” she told the BBC. “We know that ovarian tissue transplantation works for older women, but we’ve never known if we could take tissue from a child, freeze it and make it work again.”

Sarah Kuteh, a Christian nurse, is suing for unfair dismissal after she was sacked by a hospital trust for offering to pray with patients before operations.

Patients complained about Sarah Kuteh, who has 15 years of nursing experience, to the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

She was dismissed for breaching guidelines about discussing religion at work.

In a video about her case posted on the Facebook page of Christian Concern, she asks: “How could telling anyone about Jesus Christ really be harmful to any patient?”

Kuteh was responsible for pre-operation assessments of patients, which required them to fill in a form that included a question about their religion.

She said: “I discuss my religion with the patient and how I have found Jesus Christ and how much peace I have – especially when patients come to me feeling really, really devastated sometimes.

“I reassure them on the basis of the joy and peace I have found in the Lord.”

After previous complaints from patients about inappropriate conversations about religion, she was warned about her behaviour. “The next day I got a letter and it stated I could have discussions with the patient or if the patient asks for it,” she says, adding: “I’d always ask the patient if they were comfortable – and most of them were.”

Kuteh was suspended in June and sacked in August following an investigation that heard a patient had complained she had given her a Bible she did not want and said she would pray for her. Another said she thought Kuteh was “preaching” at her.

A spokesman for Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust said in a statement: “We have a duty to our patients to ensure that when they are at their most vulnerable, they are not exposed to the unsolicited beliefs and/or views of others, religious or otherwise.

“Following several complaints from patients and a warning which did not result in any change in behaviour, we feel we have acted appropriately in the management of this case.”

The Prime Minister, Teresa May, said recently that Christians should feel free to speak about their faith at work.