TERRI Calvesbert is today looking forward to a relaxing Christmas Day with her family after recovering from her latest operation.Terri has had the first stage of surgery designed to create her a new pair of ears and by next summer they could be complete.

TERRI Calvesbert is today looking forward to a relaxing Christmas Day with her family after recovering from her latest operation.

Terri has had the first stage of surgery designed to create her a new pair of ears and by next summer they could be complete.

Her dad Paul said: “She has had three screws put in one side of her head and two in the other and these will provide something for the new ears to be attached to.

“At the moment she's got a few stitches on either side of her head and is a bit sore but she's absolutely fine other than that.

“She was in hospital for three days and she went straight back to school on the day she came out.”

The ears will have a dual purpose, as well as the aesthetic aspect they will provide something for a hearing aid to sit on as Terri is deaf in one ear.

She is now back on a waiting list to have the next stage of the operation and it is hoped she will have a complete pair of ears by August.

Another big event was winning an award for her courage from Closer magazine.

Terri and Paul travelled down to London in a chauffeur-driven Limousine and mingled with celebrities including Carol Vorderman.

The rest of the year has been relatively quiet for them. This is the only operation she has had, meaning she has been free to carry on with life like every other nine-year-old girl.

Paul, of Shakespeare Road, said: “She's getting very independent now, she's becoming a proper little lady.

“It's the first year we've had for a long time where she hasn't had a lot of operations and has been able to settle down and get on with school.”

As well as getting her new ears in 2006, Terri will also be given a prosthetic foot which will mean she will be able to wear proper shoes on both feet.

Paul said: “I think it is going to be another fairly quiet year for her in terms of hospital visits which means we can just concentrate on carrying on with things as normal.”

Terri received her injuries in a house fire in 1998. She was asleep in her cot when flames swept through the family home.

N If you wish to make a donation to the appeal for Terri, cheques made payable to the Terri Calvesbert Appeal can be sent to Geraldine Thompson, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN.