A GRATEFUL mother last night said thanks for an operation which will pave the way for her daughter to have a normal life.

In a telephone call from the US, Allison Maxwell-Jones expressed her gratitude to readers of The Northern Echo, who helped raise £55,000 to pay for surgery for her two-year-old daughter Hannah.

The family is now preparing to fly home after a first operation to treat Hannah's severely deformed face.

Allison said: "I just want to thank all sorts of people for making it possible to bring her out here."

The toddler, from Nunthorpe in Middlesbrough, travelled with her parents and grandmother to the Arkansas Children's Hospital, in Little Rock, for treatment by pioneering surgeon Professor Milton Waner.

Last week, she underwent a three-hour operation to correct her haemangioma, and Allison, a nurse, said the operation went well.

"People over here have been absolutely wonderful and supportive," she said.

Paying tribute to her daughter, she said: "Every time I look at her I cannot believe the way she always bounces back.

"She is such a beacon of hope."

Allison added: "We are not sure when we are coming home yet. We have a date, but we have to keep a bit open ended."

Professor Waner said before conducting the operation that he was optimistic that surgery would dramatically improve Hannah's appearance within 18 months.

But he has warned that Hannah is likely to need up to five more operations in Arkansas and further surgery before she reaches her teens.