MEDICAL specialists and staff are being thanked for helping this smiling little boy to grow up to be happy and active  after he was born with a heart condition.

Samuel Bell, now four, was born with Fallot’s Tetralogy and had to undergo major surgery aged just 16 months.

The Kenilworth youngster was treated and cared for at Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Heart Unit, where he spent ten days.

But his father, Warren, says Samuel is now “full of beans” and “as strong as an ox”.

Mr Bell said: “Samuel’s recovery was quick and he is now an active little boy with huge amounts of energy.

“As a ‘thank you’ for the excellent care we received before, during and after his time in hospital I have set myself a bit of a challenge.

“It is a debt I can never repay but my son is now healthy and strong and this is something I can do on my part to give something back and to help others who find themselves in the same situation.”

To express his gratitude to all those at the unit, Mr Bell, 38, has set himself and a his friend David Newport, 41, a fundraising challenge in which they will run the length of Hadrian’s Wall in a day.

They will set off from the Cumbrian village of Bowness-on-Solway at the western end of the wall on Monday June 4 at midnight and are aiming to reach North Shields - about 90 miles away - between 21 and 22 hours later.

The duo, who are both former soldiers who served in the Royal Signals, have been training for more than a year.

Mr Bell said: “It has always  seemed like months away but it’s obviously getting closer now and I’m feeling slightly apprehensive.

“But we are going to break the run up into 15-mile chunks and we will have a support driver to help us so that will make it a little bit easier.”

Samuel, who is said to have a very hard head and a powerful rugby tackle, will start his reception year at Clinton Primary School in September.

For more information about  his father’s fundraising challenge visit www.justgiving.com/warrenbell4