St Neots toddler becomes Potton football mascot after recovery

A toddler who was given a 20% chance of survival has become a mascot at the football club where his father works.

Harry Jackson, aged one, from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, was left fighting for his life after he became seriously ill on holiday in Greece.

Doctors discovered after he had gone into septic shock that he had been born with a twisted abdomen.

Dad Gary Jackson said the mascot idea, at Potton United, was "to introduce him back and to say thank you to everyone".

On 17 October, while on holiday in Crete, Harry became seriously ill.

Mr Jackson is the assistant manager at non-league Potton, in Bedfordshire, and the club helped fundraise for his son's treatment and to get him home.

He was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on 17 December and on 9 March, having undergone five operations in Greece and two in the UK, he was allowed to go home.

"He's running around now, there's no stopping him," Mr Jackson said.

The impact of his illness will be felt for some time, as he has to be fed by a tube from 18:00 to 10:00.

Mr Jackson and Harry's mum Annie Cerveno hope that by the time he turns 16 he will be able to have an intestine transplant.

"We've been as low as you can be," said Mr Jackson.

"We were told he had a 20% chance of survival, but we've had time to get used to the 'new normal' and where we are now is the best-case scenario."

Harry was mascot at The Hollow, the home of Potton United, when they played Lutterworth Town in the United Counties Premier Division South on Saturday, as "he's always been taken there, it's his safe haven, he's part of the fixtures and fittings".

"Potton have taken us in, so Saturday was to introduce him back and say thank you to everyone, for all the fundraising and the messages," he said.

"We've just had the most amazing support."

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