A YEAR ago on October 2 Tracy and David Morris were anxiously waiting outside an operating theatre as their daughter Amy underwent life-saving heart surgery.

Amy, now aged 10, was given a new heart which completely changed her life.

And on Saturday night Amy and her family held a "celebration of life" party -- with 150 friends -- at Westhoughton Town Hall.

Her celebrations began on Friday with her friends at Washcare Primary School, Westhoughton, with school friends when she blew out the candles on a huge cake.

But Amy's mum Tracy said: "I've got mixed emotions because for a family somewhere it is the first anniversary of a death and for us it's the first anniversary of Amy's life."

On the night of October 1 last year, Amy's parents received the phone call they had waited eight months for -- a heart was available. A helicopter took them to Newcastle's Freeman's Hospital where Amy underwent a nine-hour operation.

Amazingly less than 24 hours later she was able to eat an ice-pop sitting up in her hospital bed.

A month later, after intensive physiotherapy, Amy returned home and then, in January, went back to school.

Mrs Morris said: "The transplant was such a traumatic time for us, it took its toll on the whole family. We know it's still early days and you still put brick walls up when you think back to that time; it's like you can never let your guard drop.

"Amy has only been admitted to hospital once since the transplant and that was for a raised temperature. She is 99 per cent back to her normal self. She has a low exercise tolerance but she really does try her best. The by-pass damaged some of the nerves in her legs so she still struggles a bit but otherwise she's great."

The Celebration of Life party will round off a fund-raising campaign to raise £2,500 for the Freeman's new heart and lung transplant unit.

Any men going to the party will have to buy their way out of having their legs waxed and an auction is being held when Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan's boxing gloves will be sold.

Amy has been doing her bit to raise money by getting together with her cousins to do a sponsored swim and horse-ride.

The family, of Westhoughton, wanted to thank everyone for their support through the last year.

The Morris family is also urging Bolton people to put their names on the organ donor register.

Amy was diagnosed with a rare and serious heart defect at the age of just six weeks.

She had a large hole in her heart and the major arteries were reversed so blood was being pumped the wrong way around her body.

Amy had endured major heart surgery twice before and has had a pacemaker fitted. She was top of the donor list at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital at Pendlebury for almost eight months before a suitable heart had been found.

To register with UK Transplant, telephone 0845 60 60 400.