Grimsby Town fan, 6, leads team out after open heart surgery

Reggie Aslin was carried onto the pitch by Mariners midfielder Alex Hunt ahead of Grimsby Town's match against AFC Wimbledon

A six-year-old boy with only half a heart helped lead Grimsby Town onto the pitch for their final game of the season, just seven weeks after surgery.

Reggie Aslin was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and suffered multiple mini strokes following his operation on 16 March. His parents were told he may not walk, talk or see.

But on Monday he was carried onto the pitch by midfielder Alex Hunt.

His father Lee said it was a milestone in the Mariners fan's recovery.

Mr Aslin said: "I think it possibly could have triggered something, being in his favourite place in the world.

"Grimsby Town is what he lives for, it's what he breathes. Being on this pitch has just triggered that determination a little bit more where it's just made him run."

The youngster was treated to a special day at Blundell Park where he met his favourite players

Reggie was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and has had a number operations since birth

According to the NHS, hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a rare type of congenital heart disease where the left side of the heart does not develop properly, resulting in not enough oxygenated blood getting through to the body.

The British Heart Foundation said most babies with the condition look normal immediately after birth, but they become breathless and very ill if they are not treated quickly.

Following Reggie's life-prolonging surgery in March, doctors had warned "he may never wake up", his mother Michelle said.

"He's had to have three surgeries - the first was when he was four days old; the second was at six months old and the third one was obviously [seven] weeks ago.

"They said it's whether Reggie will wake up not when he'll wake up and they said if he did wake up, they expected him to be a severely disabled child."

Reggie cheering with his parents, Lee and Michelle Aslin, as the Mariners score a goal in their final game of the season

Mr Aslin continued: "They didn't think he could see at all, might not walk again and they also said we might not get the same boy back again that we had before."

Defying all the odds, the six-year-old "super fan" pulled through and was treated to a special day at Blundell Park, ahead of the Mariner's final home game of the season against AFC Wimbledon.

The youngster met his favourite players and took to the pitch before the start of the match.