Little Joshua Dryden is firmly on the road to recovery after suffering a life-threatening heart defect.

Today, the bubbly tot is the centre of attention as he potters about his Sunderland home, helping his proud parents.

It is all very different from a few months ago, when the youngster lay in an intensive care unit, his head, body, arms and legs covered by tubes.

Dad Steven, 41, said: "When he was lying there, we just thought the worst.

"But now, he is getting up to all sorts of things, just like any other little boy."

Joshua, of Millfield, arrived in the world on January 3, 2006, weighing 5lbs 8oz. Born seven-and-a-half weeks early, he was taken into the Special Care Baby Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Mum Juliana, 41, said her pregnancy had been normal and all her scans fine.

But just hours after the birth, doctors became concerned about Joshua's heartbeat and carried out a series of tests.

Steven, a theatre support worker at Sunderland Royal, said: "It was then they told us they suspected he had a hole in his heart.

"It was such a shock to us both when they told us he would have to have surgery."

While they waited for Joshua to put on weight so he could undergo the procedure, the youngster was referred to the Children's Heart Unit at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.



During this time, doctors also discovered the baby was suffering from DiGeorge syndrome and apnoea, where he would suddenly stop breathing.

Steven, who moved to Sunderland from South Africa more than three years ago, said: "They were constantly monitoring him. But while we waited for him to gain weight, they let us take him home."

It was not until May 1, 2007, that the then one-year-old was finally given the operation he so desperately needed.

Steven said: "It had to be cancelled twice because there was not enough space on the ICU."

For five hours Steven and Juliana, a staff nurse, waited while surgeons carried out the intricate procedure.

After seven days in recovery, Joshua was finally taken off the hospital machines that had dominated his short life, and allowed home
Steven added: "From then on, he just seemed to recover really quickly.

There are still a few niggly problems that need to be sorted out.
"There is some water behind his eardrum and he gets a bit frustrated because he's still not talking."

The family, including big sister Chelsea, six, will return to hospital in June for Joshua's next check-up.

Steven added: "We do still worry all the time. He has an immune deficiency which means he picks up a lot of things quite easily.
"We're just looking forward to a lot less worrying."

Joshua and his family were supported by the Children's Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital. For more information on the fund, tel: 213 1365.