Now is finally at home with his parents but will later need a heart transplant

He then suffered a stroke and had to be

A baby who only has half a heart has defied the odds after suffering a stroke and battling through four open heart surgeries.

Jack Stevens was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) which means the left side of his heart did not form properly.

Jack, from Hartlepool, County Durham, has spent half of his life in hospital after having four open heart surgeries and five other operations.

He has also suffered a stroke and had to be resuscitated three times.

Jack Stevens, now 15 months, was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) which means the left side of his heart did not form properly. He underwent four open heart surgeries at just one week old

Jack survived a total of nine operations (he is pictured, left, after the last procedure), but then suffered a stroke and had to be resuscitated three times. He is now at home with his parents (right)

Jack recovered well from the operations and has recently had his feeding tube removed for the first time. He is pictured here before his third open heart surgery procedure.

But made a miraculous recovery and recently had his feeding tube removed for the first time.

Now, at 15 months old, he is at home with his parents,

His father Chris Stevens, 30, said: 'He's been through so much in such a short space of time but he's doing brilliantly.

'We knew about his condition before he was born and he spent the first five months of his life in hospital.

'He had to have open heart surgery when he was just one-week-old and he's had three more since.

'Jack was only 4lbs 4oz when he was born and the condition has slowed his development.

'It was really difficult watching him lying in his hospital bed for so long surrounded by machines and tubes.

'But we knew it was best for him and he's battled through everything - he's a real fighter.'

Jack, who is now at home with his parents Chris Stevens, 30 and Ashton Hodge, 27. The family are pictured before Jack's fourth open heart surgery

Jack only weighed 4lbs 4oz when he was born, and the heart condition has slowed his development

Jack had to be given up to 12 different medications up to four times a day, but now only needs three different medications via a syringe. He is pictured here (left and right) at one years old

At just one-week-old, Jack underwent three stages of the Norwood procedure - a surgery performed on the heart to improve blood flow.

He was eventually allowed home for the first time in April last year but returned back to Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, three months later after suffering a stroke.

He then endured a string of gruelling operations and is finally at home with father Chris, and mother, Ashton Hodge, 27, a charity worker.

He is now on the brink of taking his first steps and speaking for the first time.

Mr Stevens, an engineer, said: 'It's a lifelong condition so he will need a transplant at some point in his life but surgeons don't know when yet.

'He'll never be able to do any real physical activity.

'Jack had to be given up to 12 different medications up to four times a day but he only needs three different medications via a syringe at the moment.

'He's also had his feeding tube removed for the very first time last month which is fantastic.

Mr Stevens, an engineer, said: 'It's a lifelong condition so he will need a transplant at some point in his life but surgeons don't know when yet'

Mr Stevens said: 'He's almost walking now and he mumbles all the time so hopefully he'll say his first word soon. We're both so proud of him - he's a very inspirational boy'

'He's almost walking now and he mumbles all the time so hopefully he'll say his first word soon.

'We're both so proud of him - he's a very inspirational boy.'

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a condition where the left lower pumping chamber of the heart does not develop properly so is much smaller than usual.

The mitral valve between the left ventricle and the upper left filling chamber is often closed or very small.

In addition, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body is also smaller than usual.

This means that the heart is unable to pump blood around the body effectively.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a form of congenital heart disease - a term used to describe a problem with the heart's structure and function due to abnormal development before birth.