Celebrating his first birthday this week at home with his family, Tristan Hickey looks just like any other baby - happy, alert and smiling.

But for Tristan and his family his big day was a double celebration because just weeks ago the tenacious tot was in hospital undergoing a life-saving liver transplant.

Brave Tristan was born with bile duct dysfunction in his liver and has been in and out of hospital since his birth. Doctors had said a transplant might not be needed until he was older, but after more tests he was placed on the register.

Within just four weeks of registering, a matching donor was found and only weeks before his birthday Tristan was admitted to St James's Hospital to undergo the lifesaving surgery.

Tristan's transplant operation was a success and he was discharged at the end of March. Today Tristan's parents Judy and Steven, of Bradford, told of their never-ending gratitude to the family of the donor and medical staff who gave them and their son so much.

"He's a completely different baby now," said Mrs Hickey. "He has so much more energy than before his operation and is just so much happier. We were so pleased that we have been able to get this operation done now, while he is young enough not to remember it. We can never thank the donor's family enough. Words cannot describe how much they have given us. They saved his life."

While Tristan was in hospital waiting for and recovering from his operation, his mum and dad were able to stay at Eckersley house, a residential home for families to be near their children as they undergo treatment at the hospital.

Eckersley House is run by the Sick Children's Trust charity and is entirely maintained by donations from the public.

More than 800 families from all over the country stay there each year. So grateful are the family for the care they received there, they now plan to raise much-needed funds.

Mrs Hickey said: "We stayed there the entire time he was in hospital and were really made to feel at home. It was wonderful to have somewhere to go at night and know that we were near to Tristan. There's a phone in the bedroom that's directly connected to the ward.

"They just gave us everything we needed at the time, it really was a home from home for us and such a weight off our mind."

To help raise as much as they can, the family have enlisted the help of renowned Bradford Elvis impersonator Darren Rivers, who has agreed to perform a benefit concert to raise money for Eckersley House.

The concert is scheduled for June 3 at the Central Division Working Men's club in Clayton.

Last year St James's Hospital carried out 110 liver transplants, making it one of the UK's busiest organ transplantation centres.

Alison Rogers, the British Liver Trust's Chief Executive, stressed the importance of people registering as donors, saying: "When you see someone with just a few months to live , it is something we should all put on our list of things to do."

To register as an organ donor contact the NHS donor hotline on 0845 6060400. To make a donation to St James's Hospital children's ward telephone (0113) 392 3640. Anybody wishing to make a donation to Eckersley House should contact the Sick Children's Trust on 0207 791 2266.