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Birthday boy Thomas with parents Carol and Peter

It's a piece of cake
for brave Thomas

by Iain Hepburn

A BRAVE Johnshaven boy who underwent open-heart surgery when he was only a few days old will celebrate his first birthday tomorrow.
Thomas Messer was diagnosed with a rare heart defect, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and the right side has to pump all the oxygenated blood around the body.
When he was two days old, he was operated on at Birmingham to enable the right side of his heart to function properly.
His parents, Carol and Peter, of 29 Castle Street, were given the choice of letting him die or going ahead with the procedure which would involve a lengthy stay in intensive care.
Since then they have had to take everything one step at a time.
"However, we've been planning things ahead, like his first birthday party, because it's

something to focus on and aim for," said Mrs Messer.
Thomas had the second of three open-heart surgery operations he needs last December.
Mrs Messer said: "He was out of hospital in a week, which is quite remarkable for an operation like that, and was only in intensive care for a day.
"He screamed the place down, so they were probably quite glad to see him go."
The family have been touched by the support they have received, not only in the village but also at Tannadice, in Angus, where Mrs Messer's parents live.
"People in the villages have been praying for us. We're not particularly religious, but when you hear about that it brings a lump to your throat," added Mrs Messer.
The Messers have three other children, Rebecca, Hannah and Mark, and all will be celebrating Thomas's birthday with a party on Friday.