THE father of a six-year-old boy struck with a life-threatening illness told today how he brought his "dead" son back to life.

Dave Grundy recalled the horrifying moment when he found his son, also called David, lying motionless in bed.

Alarmed by choking noises, Mr Grundy had rushed upstairs to find his son had lost his pulse and had turned blue.

He realised David, who suffers from Leigh's Syndrome, a muscle-wasting disease, had swallowed his tongue, blocking his airway.

But within minutes, Mr Grundy had managed to partially clear his son's throat in time to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

David regained consciousness just as paramedics arrived at his home, on Wilkinson Avenue, Little Lever.

Mr Grundy said: "I could hear him choking on the intercom so I knew something was wrong.

"When I saw him I panicked as I think anybody would. I just couldn't get his airway cleared -- it was a real struggle.

"But it was a good job I'd been on a first aid course a couple of weeks earlier. I dread to think what would have been the case if I hadn't."

Leigh's Syndrome, which also affects David's five-year-old sister Zena, is a rare genetic disorder which is thought to affect just three people throughout the world.

The third known person is a 19-year-old from New York. Sufferers tend not to live much longer.

The illness affects the victim's balance and leaves them unable to feel pain, which means they need constant attention.

Mr Grundy said: "David and Zena get exhausted very quickly so we have to keep an eye on them. It strikes from birth and there's no cure for it."

Over the weekend, David met his idol, Bolton Wanderers star Dean Holdsworth, during the match against Norwich.

Dean gave him his matchday shirt and two tickets for the final home league game on May 6. It followed an agreement before the game in which Dean promised David he would hand over his top if he scored the winning goal.

David is now eager to meet his second favourite -- Michael Barrymore.

His mother, Val Grundy, said: "He would love to see Barrymore. He's always glued to ITV2 when his show comes on.

"But that's the thing about this disease. To look at him you wouldn't really know there was anything wrong even though it can affect him badly at times."

React

The illness also attacks David and Zena's immune systems, causing them to react badly to everyday viruses such as the common cold.

Zena was diagnosed with the disease shortly after David, who had undergone a series of tests at Pendlebury Children's Hospital.

Doctors told Mr and Mrs Grundy that there was a one-in-four chance of Zena falling prey to it -- and a simple blood test proved positive.

Mr Grundy said: "We were devastated to find out they both had the illness. The doctors didn't go into a lot of detail at first but as we found out more, it began to hit us harder.

"Seeing David close to death was when it hit home the most, though. Since then he has been up and down. We never know what is around the corner."

David and Zena attend the mainstream school, Mytham Primary. Mr Grundy, who has two large pictures of his children on the living room wall, said: "The children at school love David and Zena. They're really looked after by everybody and we know it's helped them.

"The main thing is to keep them happy. They're bright kids and full of life."

David and Zena are cared for at Derian House, the Chorley-based children's hospice, which arranged the Reebok Stadium trip.

The hospice take them in for a few days each month to ease the pressure on their parents.

Mr Grundy said: "We are indebted to Derian House because they do such a lovely job.

"They treat our children like their own."