Brave Daniel's two heart transplants

Now an appeal has been launched to send the brave teenager on the holiday of a lifetime.

Neighbour Mary Johnson, 72, was so impressed by Daniel's courage, she organised the £3,500 appeal to fly him and his family to Seaworld in Florida.

When the youngster heard of the holiday, he was so thrilled, he threw away his walking frame and told his mum, Kathy, 34: "I'm going to walk by myself."

Daniel, of Marylands Crescent, Bognor, is also riding his bicycle and has attended several lessons at St Anthony's School in Chichester.

So far, nearly £2,000 has been raised towards the holiday and Mrs Johnson is confident of raising the rest.

Daniel suffered heart damage when he picked up a viral infection when he was eight weeks old.

Surgeons implanted an artificial valve at the age of two-and-a-half and he took drugs for seven years to stop his blood thickening.

But Daniel's condition deteriorated when he was ten and in December 1998, just weeks after his 11th birthday, he was given the heart of a 12-year-old donor at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Daniel was well enough to take part in the British Transplant Games last July, when he won a bronze medal.

A month later, Mrs Johnson moved in next door and the two became firm friends after he offered to wash her car and do odd jobs.

But almost a year after the first transplant, Daniel fell ill again and doctors discovered his new heart was dying.

Daniel's kidneys failed and he was kept alive by intensive care until the heart of a 56-year-old woman, who had died of a brain haemorrhage, became available and he was given a second chance of life.

Daniel, whose chest has been opened five times, weighed only four stone when he came home. He has to take a daily cocktail of drugs to stop his body rejecting the new organ.

But he is steadily regaining his strength, much to the delight of his friends and teachers at school who organised a party for him.

His mother said: "It has been a lot harder for him to recover from the operation this time. He has had a great deal more complications that thankfully appear to be settling down.

"He has been back and forward to hospital like a yo-yo but he is very excited about the prospect of a holiday. He has never been abroad and it would be a rather special event for him.

"When Mary told him about the holiday he threw away his walking frame and said, 'I am not going to walk with that anymore'. It has really given him a boost.

"He is walking a lot better now but still has circulation problems with his legs. He is a lovely, caring lad. All he was concerned about when he got home was whether he was well enough to wash Mary's car."

Mrs Johnson, who is organising the holiday through Camberley-based charity Make A Wish, said: "I moved here last August and one of the first things that happened was Daniel knocking on my door asking if he could do some jobs for me.

"That's how we became friends but within three months he was back at Great Ormond Street and his new heart failed."

Mrs Johnson said she was delighted at the response to the appeal, with one three-year-old boy donating £2 in pennies he had saved.

Staff at Butlins holiday camp raised £300 and members of Bognor Spiritualist Church donated a similar amount.

She said there was a major fund-raising event at the Empire nightclub, Bognor, on May 24, which was staging a Sixties and Seventies disco, with tickets costing £3.

The Family Centre at Brighton County Court is holding a five-a-side football tournament at the Stanley Deason Leisure Centre,Wilson Avenue, Brighton, on Sunday, May 6, at 11am.

Local traders and organisations have donated raffle prizes. There will also be a raffle for a football signed by the Manchester United team. To enter a team or donate a prize, contact Daphne Scully on 01273 811330. To donate to Daniel's holiday fund, call Mrs Johnson on 01243 863915.