When Lucy Crookes was nearly nine months old she almost died from a chest condition and nurses at the John Radcliffe Hospital fought to save her life.

"It was absolutely terrifying," her father Adrian told the Oxford Mail. "It feels as though your world is falling apart."

On the website he and his wife Nicola, from Garsington, have set up, called Lucy's Story, they recall the day in November 2004, when they almost lost their daughter.

Mr Crookes, 35, a performance and information manager at the JR, said: "We were told that Lucy was critically ill, and that they were working hard to save her life.

"It seemed like we had been transported into our worst nightmare and all we could do was stand and watch, in a complete state of panic.

"The situation went on for about an hour and a half, and slowly she came round."

Mr Crookes did not imagine that the situation could get any worse.

But in check-ups following Lucy's pneumonia, about the time of her first birthday, she was diagnosed with a condition called Saggital Craniosynostosis, which meant the top of her skull had fused together and would not grow in a uniform way.

Lucy was referred to Steve Wall, consultant craniofacial and plastic surgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary, and he operated during the August Bank Holiday, last year when Lucy was 18 months old.

"We were in the best hands in the world, and we are so lucky that the Radcliffe Infirmary is just five minutes down the road," said Mr Crookes.

"Steve Wall is an amazing man. Not only is he a great surgeon but he is very good at talking families through what is involved, and making children feel at ease."

Mr Crookes described Lucy's recovery following the operation as "miraculous".

He said: "She had the operation on the Thursday afternoon, and her head was so swollen she could not see anything, but she was soon toddling off to the playroom at the end of the ward."

Now two years and seven months old, Lucy is flourishing, and has a sister Holly, who was born in March.

Holly has undergone scans to make sure she is not suffering the same condition as her sister and no abnormalities have been detected.

To raise £5,000 for the Oxford craniofacial unit, and the new children's hospital, which opens in January, Mr Crookes is running the Reading Half-marathon on March 25.

To sponsor him, visit the website www.lucys-story.co.uk