FOUR-year-old Freddy Vallender is flying out to the United States for potentially life-saving surgery following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign.

His family, who live in Bawdrip, managed to raise a staggering £90,000 since starting the appeal 'Freddys Fight For Life' in June last year.

Young Freddy has an extremely rare heart condition and is one of only seven children in the UK to suffer with a cardiac tumour - called a fibroma - in his left ventricle.

Freddy's mother Cathryn Vallender posted on the group's Facebook page Friday night: "So our journey has begun, as this weekend we fly to Boston to start the biggest journey of all of our lives to cure our beautiful boy.

"Thank you to you all for your love, support and prayers. We cannot wait to meet the incredible team at Boston Children’s Hospital and the amazing angels at Ray Tye medical aid foundation who have made this journey possible."

Freddy has been helped by countless Bridgwater folk who have got behind the cause. In September more than 150 tractors descended on the Sedgemoor Auction Centre to help raise funds; Bridgwater couple Joe and Fi Moretti organised a raffle where the prize was their villa in Cyprus, while Sedgemoor FM's DJ Dave Englefield managed to complete a 28-hour radio show marathon to help Freddy.

Freddy has a 5cm by 3.5cm tumour which makes up much of his heart wall and fills two-thirds of his ventricle.

The tumour causes dangerous heart arrhythmias which make Freddy’s heart beat in excess of 200 beats per minute which in turn could lead to sudden death by him going into cardiac arrest.

He has already had three heart surgeries and has a defibrillator planted in his tummy.

Mrs Vallender said: “Due to the amazing work of the paramedics and incredible CPR by our neighbour, Freddy is now four, but is still battling this horrible condition.”

Bridgwater Mercury:

Mrs Vallender explained that Freddy is given medication but it has long-term side effects, and after discussing the situation with Freddy’s consultant, the family agreed the best option was try and fund the costs for specialist surgery which could help him.

“Boston Children’s Hospital in the US is the leading centre in the world,” she said.

“From 1990 to date they have managed 27 cases and since 2013 they have successfully removed seven fibromas in children whose life threatening rhythms have disappeared once the tumour has been removed.”

Freddy attends Cheeky Chimps nursery in Ashcott and Mrs Vallender said her and her husband try and make his life as normal as possible. The Vallender family also includes dad Andy, an Avon and Somerset police officer, and six-year-old son Zack.