THE parents of a hole-in-the-heart baby have received amazing news at a time when they needed it most.

Heart specialists have given Dave and Mandy Ryan's two-year-old daughter Shannon the all-clear and told her not to return for a check up for another two years - something they never expected to hear.

The visit coincided with the fourth birthday of their son Connor, who they lost to cot death a year before Shannon's birth.

When the Ryan's left their Margaret Street home in Oswaldtwistle, they did not expect to hear that Down's Syndrome sufferer Shannon would receive a two-year break from hospital visits.

The toddler has spent most of her life enduring operations to mend three holes in her heart.

As we revealed last week, she is now making good progress in her physical and mental development.

This week she started school at Hollyhouse Child Development Centre in Rishton and has had her first taste of swimming while on holiday.

Bubbly Shannon's breakthroughs have been a great boost to the Ryans. Dave said: "We were dreading this week. First we had to take Shannon to the heart specialist - and there was no way of knowing what he would say - and then it was Connor's birthday. He would have been four this year.

"The good news from the hospital has given us a real lift. Mandy's over the moon because it means Shannon can start getting on with life like a normal little girl.

"She's also wearing glasses to correct her eyesight and the optician has said it's working well.

"We're celebrating with a bottle of champagne but Shannon's none the wiser. She's always cheerful and lively."

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