Survivor marking fourth birthday

Trevor Clarke has had more than 40 operations

A boy whose parents were told he would only live for 15 minutes after he was born celebrates his fourth birthday on Wednesday.

Paul and Karen Clarke, from South Normanton in Derbyshire, were told son Trevor had 20 holes in his heart.

He spent the first year of his life in intensive care at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and has had more than 40 operations.

But in the past year he has been well enough to be taken off a ventilator.

Mr Clarke said: "When (Trevor) was first born, nobody expected him to live, so to get him to this stage is a miracle in itself.

"I can't thank people enough, especially the Queen's Medical Centre, Great Ormond Street and Leicester Royal and Glenfield especially".

Trevor will need more operations in the future and doctors do not know the cause of his condition.

He still needs to be fed through a tube and has another tube in his throat which helps him breathe.

Dr David Thomas, from the QMC, said: "The Clarkes really look forward to the time when he will be able to have a really good splash around in the sea.

"At the moment he's a bit limited because he's got the tracheotomy."

Mr Clarke said: "I must admit it is stressful at times and a lot of other times. It does make you a stronger person."