BABY Kenneth Carr has battled back from meningitis to celebrate his first Christmas - four years after the disease killed his brother.

When nine-month-old Kenneth was rushed into hospital, it looked as though fate had again delivered his mother, Andrea, an unbelievably cruel blow.

She had suffered the agony of seeing her first son, David, snatched from her at the age of eight weeks.

Kenneth was struck by the same disease, and he hovered on the brink of death.

But he is now home, having received a clean bill of health following his ordeal.

Andrea told how she believed her son was given the strength to overcome the disease by the spirit of his older brother.

The 22-year-old, of Fawdon, Newcastle, said: "We are going to make Kenneth's first Christmas really special.

"We are thankful just to have him with us because we so nearly lost him.

"He has recently had a check-up and the doctors gave him a clean bill of health, which is the best present any of us could have had.

"It will be lovely to have him at home and to spoil him, but we will be thinking about David too.

"I truly believe that David was watching over Kenneth and helped him to pull through.

"It is the only answer I have to why he survived because I was initially told to expect the worst."