BRAVE Katie Meehan is preparing for a second facial operation which to help her lead a more normal life.

Five-year-old Katie, of South Shields, South Tyneside, has suffered from a rare condition, called cystic hygroma, from birth.

It causes her face to swell and also her tongue .

Her family launched a campaign last year to pay for an operation by renowned surgeon Professor Ian Jackson.

The community rallied round, and events were organised which raised more than £50,000 for Katie's treatment.

Prof Jackson, famous for operating on the disfigured Peruvian mountain boy David, carried out a successful operation on Katie's tongue in March last year. He cut out part of her tongue, which now fits much better in her mouth, and removed a mass of cysts.

Now Katie and her family are preparing to travel to London this weekend for a second tongue operation on Sunday.

Her mother, Dawn Meehan, said: "Prof Jackson is going to remove a bit more of the tongue and maybe do some work on her face.

"She's not looking forward to the operation because she knows she's going to get the needles and she's terrified of them."