Elliott is celebrating his 16th birthday – and his life is great!

After exam success, the teenager is looking forward to going to college.
What a different story it was in 2001 when he travelled to Melbourne, Australia, to undergo pioneering brain surgery to remove a benign tum-our.

Before the operation, Elliott commonly suffered up to a dozen epileptic fits every day.

But the trip Down Under, funded by a Gazette-backed appeal which raised more than £50,000, transformed his life.

After the operation he was able to lead a normal life, and the fits virtually ceased.

Now he is planning to start a Skills for Life course at the Hebburn site of South Tyneside College after achieving top marks in his exams at Epinay Business and Enterprise School in Jarrow.

His progress has delighted his parents, Steve and Jacqui Lamb, of Lakeside, Marsden.

Mr Lamb said: "As parents we are unbelievably proud of his achievements, particularly in light of what he has been through.

"Now here we are looking forward to him getting through his college course, and hopefully be able to get a job working in a garage, which has been his ambition for a number of years.

"Hard to believe really that from 2001 when we were helped tremendously by the campaign in the Gazette and all of the people in South Shields and the borough, and beyond, to get the operation in Australia – that we are now at the point where Elliott is 16 and going to a local college.

"As for what's in store for Elliott, who knows? His brother and sister love him loads, and his mam and dad are immensely proud of him.

"I'm sure that he'll be the best that he can be, and what more could you ask for than that?"