A TWO-YEAR-OLD from Wombwell who suffered a cardiac arrest after undergoing open heart surgery last month returned home on Friday - and his mum says she’s amazed at how quickly he’s recovering.

Finn Watkinson was born at 33 weeks with a disease called Williams syndrome which affects just one in 20,000 people in the UK.

It causes mild to moderate intellectual disability, unique facial features and a distinctive outgoing and sociable personality.

His mum, 40-year-old Amy Whittingham said they didn’t find out about Finn’s diagnosis until he was born.

Due to being born prematurely, Finn underwent a number of tests at hospitals - including Sheffield Children’s - where it was found that he had a number of issues with his heart.

However, because he was so small doctors were unable to complete any surgeries until he became a suitable weight and size.

Amy told the Chronicle: “After we did the tests the doctor explained to us about the severity of the heart conditions that he had.

“We knew that he had to have open heart surgery but we had to wait until he reached the right size.

“He got called in on July 14 this year to Leeds so that he could have the surgery on July 15.

“He went down and had the six-and-a-half hour open heart surgery.”

Amy was told that Finn’s surgery had gone well and stayed with him by his side until 11.30pm that night.

She was told to go home by doctors as he had been recovering well - but at 3.30am she received a call every parent dreads.

“I was told that I needed to come back in quickly because he was really poorly,” she added.

“They told me that I should say my goodbyes because they didn’t think that he was going to make it.

“It was terrible.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare and I was living it.

“You know the risk of surgery going in but you never even think that it’ll happen to you.

“I wasn’t able to go in so I had to watch while doctors tried to resuscitate him for 90 minutes because he was having a cardiac arrest.

“I saw the surgeon go in and have to open his chest and conduct CPR internally because it wasn’t working.

“He was down for 90 minutes and needed 22 rounds of adrenaline.

“Finn was then on life support for two days after that.”

The youngster needed intense rehabilitation at Sheffield Children’s Hospital but was eventually allowed home to recover after around a week on the ward.

Amy said: “We were allowed to go home because they said that it was better for his recovery.

“But less than 24 hours later we took him to Barnsley Hospital’s A and E because he had a golf ball-sized lump in his chest.

“We were readmitted to Leeds due to the abscess under his chest wound and we finally returned home on Friday.”

Finn has already undergone a lifetime of hospital appointments and surgeries at just two years old - and Amy says she can’t believe how well her son is recovering.

“He’s a little warrior,” she said.

“To look at him now compared to a month ago is incredible.

“We were told to say our goodbyes and now he’s back to his cherpy self.

“He’s so bubbly and he absolutely loves his music - that’s something to do with Williams syndrome.

“He loves listening to the Jonas Brothers.

“It’s just amazing how well he’s doing.”