A CHILDREN’S party will be more special than most when a 10-year-old boy celebrates a decade since his life was saved.

Winnnington schoolboy Kieran Cooper was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia, which affects just one in 17,000 children, when he was just six weeks old.

At four months old Kieran’s parents Kerry and John knew he needed a liver transplant and the tot went through two transplant operations before his first birthday.

The 10th anniversary of the first operation is Friday, March 16, and the Coopers are holding a party at Cuddington and Sandiway Village Hall on March 24 to celebrate the milestone.

“It was quite a lot for him to go through but you wouldn’t know it to look at him now,” said Kerry.

“He’s absolutely fantastic.

“He’s good with his health and takes his medicine – he has to have anti-rejection drugs twice a day and he’s on steroids but he’s bounced back.”

Football fan Kieran, who goes to Winnington Park Community Primary School, plays for Weaverham Community Youth Football Club and has up to 60 friends coming to his party.

The idea of the event is that guests bring donations for the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation rather than gifts for Kieran.

The Cooper family, of Cromwell Road, also want to raise awareness about why people should join the NHS organ donor register.

Kerry said: “I understand that it’s difficult but if it helps one person or one family then it’s a miracle.

“I know where Kieran’s liver came from and I can never thank that family enough for what they’ve done – they’ve saved a life at the end of the day.

“If it wasn’t for that family, Kieran wouldn’t be here today.

“After he’d had the transplant we found out he didn’t have long to live, it really was touch and go.”

For more information about the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation visit childliverdisease.org.