A Welsh teenager has made a miraculous recovery after medics were hours from switching off his life support machines.
Brooklyn Peakman, from Prestatyn, "died twice" during a 19-hour operation to replace a faulty heart valve, North Wales Live reports.
The 19-year-old was left on life support at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after suffering a huge stroke following the surgery.
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Brooklyn was born with a faulty heart and had to undergo major heart surgery when he was 12 hours old, and again when he was a day old.
Following a six-month check up in Birmingham, Brooklyn was told he would need surgery to install a mechanical valve as soon as possible.
The keen footballer had a stroke hours after his operation and medics told his heartbroken mother Kelly there was little more they could do for him, as he would have suffered severe brain damage.
But a stroke consultant assessed Brooklyn and found he still had brain activity. His sedation was gradually withdrawn so he could be further assessed.
Family friend Hayley Roberts said: "Brooklyn was responding to his mother’s voice which obviously indicated brain activity, and miraculously on Christmas Eve he managed to tell his mum that he loved her, which left her in bits saying it was the best Christmas present ever.
"However, Kelly has been warned that Brooklyn faces a very long road to recovery including at least 12 months in hospital. The operation has also left him in need of a heart transplant, and he can't have that until he's fit enough to have one.
"Brooklyn's on dialysis, and he's had an operation so that the medics are in full control of his heart. He's also experienced lots of other issues with his lungs and liver so that is being dealt with too.
"Kelly has also been warned that if Brooklyn suffers from another stroke then it could kill him, so you can imagine how she's feeling right now but the good news is Brooklyn is getting stronger and beating the odds that were stacked against him. He even managed to eat some jelly fed to him by his mum and they're hoping to move onto custard."
The teenager, who attended Prestatyn High school and plays for Meliden Football Club, has spent the last two months at the hospital.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to raise money for Brooklyn and his family. More than £3,500 has been raised so far.
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