TODDLER Liam Heffernan is awake and doing "very well" after receiving pioneering brain surgery in a New York hospital.

The two-year-old's mother has revealed that the potentially life-saving operation for the rare Battens disease went to plan.

Brave Liam is the youngest person to have received groundbreaking neurodegenerative disease but is said to be recovering well today.

"It is such a relief to see our Liam awake and alert so quickly after the surgery," his mother Mary said.

"We know we have a long wait ahead to see the effectiveness of the procedure, but for now we know he is doing very well."

She added that Liam was at the time still in ICU, "sitting up and giving out".

Liam's sister Saoirse (5) passed away from the same disease in January after she was unable to undergo the treatment as her condition deteriorated too quickly.

But hopes are now rising that Liam will make a good recovery at the Intensive Care Unit of the Weill Cornell Hospital in New York.

The tough operation involved drilling six holes in his skull to allow gene transfer treatment to be administered to 12 locations in his brain.

His parents Tony and Mary revealed last night that the surgery had gone exactly to plan and that they now hoped his body would accept the genes, which would be his only chance of surviving the rare disease.

His father said that Liam enjoyed "very precious cuddles from his parents".

"It was difficult to watch the clock for eight hours, without seeing him, but the team here kept us fully informed throughout, which helped us a lot," Tony revealed.

"Liam is a special little boy, and we hope this gene therapy trial works."

Liam is the fifth child to have participated in the gene transfer treatment trial which began in August 2010. There are now 16 places available each year for the surgery.

His courageous parents are now hopeful that Liam's condition was recognised early enough to give him a better chance of recovery.

Liam will stay in New York for a month, but he will be back in the family's home in Castledrum, Keel, Co Kerry in time to celebrate World Battens Day on June 4 -- what would have been Saoirse's sixth birthday.

The mini-marathon for the Bee for Battens charity is on June 6. Call or text the charity on 083 0044444 or visit www.beeforbattens.org.

hnews@herald.ie

- Adelina Campos