TODDLER Callum Barrett, three, who has become known as the boy who is allergic to life due to problems with his immune system, is so excited about the festive season his mum Michelle says it is wearing her out.

Michelle, 24, said: "He is fascinated by all the lights and decorations. He gets so excited when he sees all the different colours. He's wonderful, although his excitement can become unbearable.

"It's brilliant that this year he can take such an interest and get involved in Christmas.

"Although he wasn't actually ill last year he was still recovering from all his operations and didn't really seem fussed. It's like he's a different little boy."

Callum suffers from a rare immune disorder, called hypogammaglobulinemia.

It breaks down his natural defences against everyday life rendering his immune system useless.

In September 2002 he was taken into hospital where he had a bowel biopsy and a gastrotomy, a procedure used to insert a feeding tube through the skin into the stomach.

Doctors at Bristol Children's Hospital also cut open his stomach to shrink his oesophagus to combat his excessive vomiting.

A week later, he had to undergo another operation on his large bowel after his body continued to reject nutrients fed via a tube.

Today Callum still bears the scars of his ordeal. The most prominent is a feeding button in the side of his tummy, which administers vital nutrients overnight.

His illness hasn't stopped him from joining a playgroup and making new friends. "He goes to Learning Trees, in Moredon Road, and he absolutely loves it. He gets on so well there and the staff are great. We had a big meeting before he started to make sure they all knew about his illness but it is working out really well."

Callum, who has two sisters, Sophie, seven, and one-year-old Bethany, said: "I went to a Christmas party. I'm going to get a bike."