AS little James Wilkes got into the full swing of his birthday party he was unaware of why it was such a happy sight for his parents.

Four years ago Michelle Jones and Wayne Wilkes, of Sedgefield, celebrated the birth of their second child. But hours later they were told he had a rare heart defect.

James, who was born eight weeks premature at North Tees Hospital, now the University Hospital of North Tees, had malformed arteries around his heart, but he was too small for surgery.

The day after he was born, a tiny balloon was inserted into his heart and inflated to allow the blood to flow.

At six-months-old he was strong enough to undergo surgery and had two open-heart operations at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.

At a birthday party in Sedgefield Methodist Church Hall, Ms Jones and Mr Wilkes said they were delighted to watch their son cause mayhem at the party and have fun with his friends and family.

Ms Jones said: "Each of James's birthdays have been better than the last because the feelings we had when he was a baby aren't raw anymore.

"We can enjoy his party for real rather than looking back at the worry we had then. James was the youngest child to undergo the procedure and there were times we'd worry about him having problems as he grew up."

James, who has two sisters, Laura, nine, and six-month-old Kate, is due to start Sedgefield Hardwick Primary School soon.