Talented Manx Footballer owes his life to Craig's Heartstrong Foundation.

TALENTED young footballer can look forward to a bright sporting future again – after he was given the all-clear following a life-saving hole in the heart operation.

And Daniel Oram, 18, owes his life to the Manx charitable foundation that helped detect his previously undiagnosed heart defect.

In May last year he attended a cardiac screening session organised by Craig's Heartstrong Foundation after spotting an advert in the Courier.   Always active and having never had health problems before, it was a bombshell for Daniel and his parents when a hole in his heart was detected.

The foundation paid for him to have further tests carried out privately. In June, he underwent open heart surgery at Manchester Royal Infirmary and was in theatre for four hours.   Now after months of recuperation, he's been given the all-clear. He's returned to training on the football pitch and is hoping to win back his first team place with Ramsey.

His dad Michael, 39, said: 'We went over to Manchester for a check-up and he's been given the all-clear. There is no hole there at all now.

'Danny can get on with the rest of his life.'

Daniel has started a business and accountancy course at Isle of Man Business School, having chosen to stay in the Island rather than go across to university as originally planned.

His dad said, from the family home off Johnny Watterson's Lane, in Douglas: 'If he had not gone to the screening session, problems would have come to light when he was 25 to 30. It would start with shortness of breath and he would probably have had to have a heart transplant.'