AN 11-YEAR-OLD given just a three per cent chance of survival at birth has started his first term at secondary school.

Morgan Sharpe has battled the rare Goldenhar syndrome since the day he was born and had more than 20 operations to correct the facial disfigurement it caused.

He was born with only one eye and ear, and a gap in his jaw and needed a tracheotomy when he was two to breathe properly.

Morgan had a prosthetic eye fitted when he was one and had a fake ear fitted using bone from a broken rib and grafted skin two years ago.

His mum Kerry Owens said: “He’s doing really well, he takes it all in his stride, he’s amazing and makes me so proud.

“He gets really scared and stressed out about the operations and it’s horrible to see him like that, but as long as we promise to spoil him rotten, he focuses on that instead.

“The doctors can’t believe how much he’s grown from when he was a tiny baby fighting for his life.

“He’s done everything they said he wouldn’t be able to do – walk, talk, and go to a mainstream school.

“He just wants to do the same things as everyone else – and he can, in his own way.

“It’s difficult for him, a lot of people stare because he looks different and he’s worried about making friends.

“I made a presentation so the other kids at Commonweal School would understand what he’s gone through and relate to him.”

Morgan said: "School is going really well, I'm getting to know people and I really like the independence.

"It's been challenging seeing friends do stuff that I can't because of my condition, but

"When I'm older, I wouldn't mind taking over Holmes Music from my granddad."

Morgan is part of the Goldenhar Family Support Group, which has given him much-needed help over the years.

Kerry added:“It’s helpful to be able to speak to people who understand what we’re going through - when Morgan went to family days, he liked being around other children like him because nobody stared or asked questions.”

Their charity patron Shelley Hull wrote a memoir about living with the condition and invited Morgan and his family to the book launch next March.

Kerry added: “That will be nice, Shelley’s an amazing lady and she’s been through so much but proved that you can have the condition and still live a normal life, so there’s no reason why Morgan can’t do the same.

“Morgan and I have thought about writing our own book one day.

"When I was pregnant with him and told about the condition, I didn’t know anybody who had it and it would have been good to have something to relate to, so a book like Shelley’s (or ours!) would really help somebody going through the same situation.”