Smiling teenager Jacob Brown has had his life transformed after a major operation.
And now, the Houghton area 14-year-old can look forward to making all his dreams come true just months after his family feared his life could be blighted forever.
His heart and lungs were being crushed by a rare condition which meant his internal organs only had 1.5 inches of space inside his chest.
A fundraising appeal was launched and a big-hearted Washington company Peak Body Nutrition as well as Sunderland Echo readers helped to pay for an operation costing almost £15,000 at the Portland Hospital in London.