HANNAH Maxwell-Jones, the little girl whose plight touched thousands of people in the region, has had a second major operation to reshape her face.

The toddler successfully came through a two-and-a-half hour operation at the world-famous Arkansas Children's Hospital, in the US.

Now, after an 11-day trip, the three-year-old is recuperating at her home in Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough.

Her mother, intensive care nurse Allison Maxwell-Jones, said her daughter took her second operation in her stride.

"She is a real cool cookie," said Allison, who arrived back in the UK last Wednesday.

While Hannah will probably need a further three operations on her face, her mother says she is already beginning to see a difference.

"People who know Hannah will notice more of a difference this time," said Mrs Maxwell-Jones. "She is doing brilliantly."

Hannah was born with a disfiguring facial haemangioma, a mass of blood vessels which stretched and distorted her face.

After doing research on the Internet, her family discovered that the only surgeon in the world to successfully tackle such serious facial haemangiomas was Professor Milton Waner, in Arkansas.

An appeal in the North-East to help the family go to Arkansas, supported by The Northern Echo, led to an extraordinary outpouring of generosity. A total of £55,000 was raised to help the family pay for treatment and travel.

Much of the first operation, which took place last October, involved work on the underlying substructures of Hannah's face.

Now Prof Waner is beginning to reshape her features.

Shortly, he will begin to remove some of the bulky tissue which distorts her face.

The surgeon, who has developed a unique way of dealing with facial haemangiomas and attracts families from all over the world, is said to be pleased with Hannah's progress.

This time, Hannah was accompanied by brother Andrew, nine, and sister Joanne, 13, which made a big difference, said her mother.

"Having all the kids out there made it seem more normal for Hannah. I really missed them last time," said Mrs Maxwell-Jones.

More than half the money raised by well-wishers has now gone on surgery, flights and accommodation, but the family are hoping the remaining work can be fitted into their budget.