Hay River (May 15/06) - As Alexander Stainbrook turned one year old on May 13, you might not know by looking at him that he has been fighting for his life since before he was born.

Divina Stainbrook and her infant son Alexander relax at Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton on May 4. Alexander was released from hospital late last month following a heart transplant in February. - photo courtesy of Capital Health, Edmonton and Area

Hay River's Divina Stainbrook says her son has had an "amazing" recovery since receiving a new heart on Feb. 5 in Edmonton.

"He's like a new baby," she said in a telephone interview from the Alberta capital.

Alexander is very active, she noted. "He smiles here and there, and coos and everything."

A celebration was held for Alexander's birthday in Edmonton.

Stainbrook noted that in the Filipino tradition, the first birthday is a very special event.

She was joined by her mother and sister, who visited from Hay River, and her brother from Calgary. The celebration featured a cake and lots of food. In particular, there were noodles, which Stainbrook explained is a symbol of long life in Filipino culture.

"We're on the road to recovery and hopefully we'll be home soon," she said.

Alexander was discharged from Stollery Children's Hospital on April 28, but must remain in Edmonton for frequent check-ups. His new heart is functioning fine, but Alexander has contracted a couple of viruses that kept him in hospital longer than expected.

"His immune system is really low," Stainbrook explained, noting that is not uncommon for heart transplant patients.

"The post-transplant course was complicated by recurrent chest and gut infections. The heart became the least of his problems, but so far so good," said Dr. Yashu Coe, Alexander's cardiologist and head of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program at Stollery Children's Hospital.

The doctor was speaking in an article about baby Alexander on the website of Capital Health, the health authority for Edmonton and area.

"I expect him to recover fully to enjoy a normal childhood and beyond," Coe said.

Stainbrook has also been told by a pediatrician that Alexander is a little late developing, but will catch up and be a normal child.

Mother and child are currently staying at Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton, so Alexander can return to hospital twice a week for check-ups.

Stainbrook said that will eventually become once every two weeks, and she hopes they can return to Hay River at that time.

For much of the last year, the Stainbrook family has been forced to be apart, except for short periods. Stainbrook's husband Shayne and their seven-year-old son Nicholas have mostly remained in Hay River.

Stainbrook said Ronald McDonald House is a wonderful place to live while away from home. I wouldn't trade it for a five-star hotel," she says.

The house offers emotional support from staff and other families with sick children.

She hopes she and Alexander can return home to Hay River sometime this summer.

"As long as we're home by Christmas I'd be happy," she says.

Stainbrook was four months pregnant when tests indicated her unborn baby had a heart problem.

It was only after Alexander was born at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital on May 13, 2005 - Friday the 13th - that he was diagnosed with criss-cross heart, a reversal of the arteries.

Despite a series of surgeries and other treatments, Alexander's condition deteriorated to the point where a heart transplant was the only option remaining.