A MUM has described her baby son’s miracle recovery after he suffered a heart attack two days before his first birthday.

Little Felix Kershaw had to be given CPR by his dad after he was discovered laying unresponsive in his cot after crying out.

His parents Kelly Snowden and Ben Kershaw, 26, fought to save the youngster as they desperately awaited help from paramedics.

The 11-month-old had to be shocked three times with a defibrillator to restore his normal heart rhythm before being placed in an induced coma and ventilated in hospital for three days.

After being taking off the ventilator, Felix spent a week in intensive care, forcing his parents to celebrate his first birthday by his bedside.

Kelly, 25, said: “It was really traumatising and my partner and I still haven’t got over it.

“We are checking on him every five minutes now just in case. We are so worried that something else is going to happen.

“It was horrible to see his little lifeless body being unresponsive and I don’t think I will ever forget it.”

Brave Felix, who lives with his parents at their Colne home, has now been diagnosed with the rare Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time.

Doctors said it is a relatively common condition, affecting between one and three people in every 1,000.

This problem with the heart is present at birth, although symptoms may not develop until later in life, with many cases diagnosed in adults aged between 20 and 40.

Felix, who became ill on December 28, is now on a course of medication designed to treat his condition until he is old enough to have an operation to fix the problem with his heart.

Blackburn College student Kelly said: “When I put him to bed that night there was no indication that something was wrong.

“We heard him cry out so I went to check on him but he did not respond when I tried to wake him. I thought he was having a nightmare.

“He had lost all of his colour and he was not moving at all so we called for an ambulance and Ben started CPR as he was told.”

Felix was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital before being transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital for specialist treatment.

He suffered some brain damage as a result of the heart attack and will need on-going physiotherapy and speech and language therapy, doctors said.

Since the terrifying incident, the family, of Grosvenor Street, have been given a home defibrillator to be used if Felix ever has a heart attack again.

Doctors said if he suffers another attack he may not be strong enough to survive until an ambulance arrive because of the pre-existing damage to his heart.

Charity Hand on Heart donated £500 towards a defibrillator after being ‘touched’ by Felix’s story.

The organisation, which normally provides defibrillators to schools, contacted fundraiser Janet Jackson whose son Nic died suddenly a day after his 26th birthday in 2013 from a cardiac episode, to see if she could help.

Victoria Burrows, CEO of Hand on Heart, said: “With Janet’s generosity Hand on Heart were thrilled to be able to help Felix.

“The whole team have been touched by Felix’s story.

“We were thrilled to be able to provide the defibrillator for Felix and to facilitate one family who has been affected by Sudden Cardiac Arrest in supporting another.

“We hope the defibrillator will provide peace of mind for Felix’s family as it can be taken where ever he goes.

“We wish this special little boy well with his continued recovery.”

Kelly has now embarked on a fundraising bid of her own with the aim of repaying the cost of the new defibrillator and raising extra money for the charity.

Kelly said: “We as parents feel that Felix is incredibly lucky to have survived a cardiac arrest but fear he may not survive another.

“By providing us with a defibrillator for Felix with the support of Janet Jackson, Hand on Heart Charity have given us some reassurance now he has been discharged from hospital.

“Any donations received will support the charity and help more families like us.”

For more information or to donate search ‘Kelly Snowden’ on www.justgiving.com.