A toddler has taken part in a fundraising event to thank the hospital which saved his life.

Brave Mitchel Cooper, 2, underwent major heart surgery in London. He has now been been given the all-clear. Members of his family and friends joined in a sponsored walk and raised more than £1,000 for the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Mitchel's mum, 27-year-old Wendy Merchant, of Stourview Close, Mistley, said he had been extremely poorly and would have died without the operation on his heart.

He had a condition called Fallots tetralogy, which was discovered through a scan when Miss Merchant was 20 weeks pregnant.

A group of people, including Miss Merchant's partner, Chris Cooper, and parents Jeff and Vanessa Merchant, took part in the ten-mile sponsored walk, from Mistley Social Club to Ardleigh and back, and Mitchel joined in in his pushchair.

Published Tuesday, August 31, 2004

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