SCARLETT Moody has been a prime motivating force behind her brother Louis's return to a relatively normal life just three months after returning home to Grange Road, St Leonards.

Louis, now five, was born with a serious heart defect and underwent two major operations in Southampton General Hospital in the first five months of his life.

But things went seriously wrong after the third operation to improve the function of his heart just before his fourth birthday.

On June 5, one day after his birthday celebration in Southampton General Hospital, he suffered a debilitating stroke.

His mum, Jackie Ashley, 35, said: "He lost mobility down the right hand side of his body completely and all his speech.

"You wouldn't think that now. And that's why we think that it was Scarlett who helped him on."

Louis received speech therapy and physiotherapy in Southampton General before coming home.

Like many stroke patients, his brain was still functioning and he was finding life extremely frustrating because he could not put his thoughts into action.

"Scarlett helped him only as a child could do really, because she was on the same level," said Jackie.

"She tended to know what he wanted. That's what we put it down to.

"She has encouraged him, motivated him and probably annoyed him, but that was what he needed."

At first when her brother wanted a toy, she would go and get it for him.

But as time went on she would say to him, "Come with me and we'll get it together".

She helped him feed himself and was supportive when he went back to Moyles Court School. And there were lots of hugs when frustration moved him to tears.

Despite his frailty he enjoys life to the full and has told his parents he wants to race motorcycles.

Scarlett and Louis were born, five weeks prematurely, in Basingstoke Hospital. Steve and Jackie were living nearby in Hatch Warren at the time.

It was obvious from the start that there was something wrong with Louis, who had weighed in at a mere four-and-a-half pounds, because his fingers and toes were blue because of circulation problems.

An echo test was made and he was diagnosed as having Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which meant the left side of his heart was underdeveloped.

The first operation was literally a life-saver for 17-day-old Louis.

In November 1999, the second operation was to enlarge the "plumbing". It was then financial brokers Steve and Jackie moved to St Leonards.

The third operation, the Fontan Procedure, was problematic and Louis had to be taken into theatre three times.

The stroke is thought to have been caused by the drug which he needs to thin his blood.

Jackie and Steve are hoping for improvements to future life-saving techniques and maybe a heart transplant to make life even better for Louis.

More information about the syndrome from Left Heart Matters on 0121 455 8982.

First published: November 16