A LITTLE boy who was born with his heart upside down and the wrong way round has undergone his FOURTH major operation.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London performed open heart surgery on two-year-old Samuel Bethell.

They carried out a four hour operation and managed to turn his heart round to face the right direction.

They also pulled an artery up from his leg to connect to his heart to improve his circulation.

The little fighter was due to be in the intensive care unit of the specialist London children’s hospital for up to four weeks.

However, Samuel battled back so well he was allowed to go on to a ward after two days.

Samuel was born with four life-threatening heart conditions including a hole in his heart which was upside down and facing the wrong way.

His heart is also half the size it should be and only half of that functions properly.

His rare condition left him breathless, with poor circulation and at risk of having a cardiac arrest.

The family also had to ensure he does not over-exert himself as his body could not control his blood pressure.

Samuel has been fighting from the day he was born.

When he was delivered at University College Hospital London, he went straight into intensive care and was kept alive by medicine and machines.

He underwent open heart surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London when he was four days old, a nine hour operation to install a new valve in his heart.

He underwent his second open heart operation when he was four months old and last year he had a balloon put into his lung.

Doctors had not wanted to undertake more surgery until Samuel was about four-years-old but his condition had deteriorated in recent months.

His mother, Vicki, said of his latest operation: “The surgeons said they were happy with how it went.

“Within two days he was out on the ward and his breathing tubes were out.

“He still has a way to go. He has three chest drains in and he needs morphine to cope with the pain but has done well.

“He has just picked up an infection which they think is from one of the drains.

“He is on antibiotics now and hopefully he will be on the mend soon.”

Samuel was expected to have to stay at Great Ormond Street Hospital for six months but Vicki, who is also mum to Daisy, six, and Betsy, one, said it was hoped he would be back home in Colchester in a matter of weeks.

Vicki, 28, has been staying at Samuel’s bedside with Betsy and her partner, Rick.

They have been able to stay in London thanks to the charity, the Sick Children’s Trust.

Vicki said: “We are so grateful to them and also to our family and friends who have so much support.”