A Bradford boy who battled back from the brink has been chosen to front a major charity advertising campaign.

Seven-year-old Jonathan Mason, from Odsal, who was born with a serious heart defect, is one of the faces of the British Heart Foundation's national campaign to raise awareness of congenital heart defects and the long-lasting impact they can have on both children and their families.

He was born with transposition of the great arteries and had to undergo two operations before he was ten days old to correct the problem.

His parents spent weeks living at hospital as he recovered from his surgery and still have to take him for check-ups on a yearly basis.

Today, Jonathan's mum, Clare, spoke about how the family had coped when and since Jonathan was born and praised the help and support the family had received from medical staff.

She urged people to help raise funds during next week to help pay for more specialist nurses and research into heart defects.

"After Jonathan's operation, he had this bandaged scar and I had no idea of how I should hold him properly," said Clare.

"When he eventually came home from hospital it was difficult. He was quite sick, we couldn't really go anywhere and if he cried we didn't know if he was in pain.

"He's doing really well at the moment. He is small for his age, he does catch every cough and cold going and he can struggle to keep warm but he does look really well."

During his most recent check-up, doctors discovered that Jonathan had a leaking arterial valve and that his heart rate had slowed.

"They're just monitoring him at the moment," said Clare. "They don't want to perform more surgery unless they have to and I don't want them to do it!"

Five thousand babies are born every year with congenital heart problems and Clare said it was easy for people to assume that a child's problems were over as soon as they successfully came through surgery.

"Jonathan has had some long-term effects, mostly psychological," she said. "He's terrified of people in fancy dress - probably as a consequence of seeing so many people in gowns and masks at hospital - and he hates stickers, which is to do with a test he has at hospital where he has stickers put on him.

"He's also a worrier but he's been going to Stage 84 doing performing arts, speech and drama and he absolutely loves it. It's done wonders for his confidence - he's come on in leaps and bounds.

"It's difficult for parents as well. How do you explain to your child that he had an operation the day he was born, another one when he was ten days old, and why he has to keep going to hospital when his friends are doing other things?

"Jonathan gets lots of attention because of his heart problems but we don't want his older brother Thomas to feel pushed out because he's just as special."

The advert featuring Jonathan will be shown from Monday on Channel 5 and on a number of satellite channels, including Discovery Health, E4, Sky News and MTV.

"Jonathan is so excited about being in the advert," said Clare. "He was filmed at home dashing around on his scooter and at Alder Hey Hospital with a nurse. He had to show his scar off - he's really quite proud of his scar."

Kate Hardenberg, project manager for the foundation's advertising campaign, said Jonathan case's was a perfect example of the effects of congenital heart disease.

"He's a great boy and we're pleased he decided to help us by doing the ad," she said.