A 12-year-old boy who endured five open heart surgery operations in one year has set up a charity to give other sick children “a second chance”.

Keith Ssewamala, of Maskell Close, Tulse Hill, discovered he was suffering from a heart aneurysm after falling off his bike in 2008.

Surgeons removed the bulge from his left ventricle but just three years later, in 2011, he began coughing up blood and complained he was losing his sight.

After suffering a seizure, doctors at St Thomas’ Children’s Hospital found he had developed a second aneurysm, but an operation to remove it caused bruising and a third lump appeared.

He has been a regular hospital patient ever since, undergoing two more serious operations and recently starting a round of chemotherapy.

But with the help of his mother, Monica, 36, the Elm Green School pupil established a charity last year to support other families of children with heart conditions in the UK and Uganda, where the family hails from.

Keith, who dreams of becoming a professional actor and performing in popular television soaps EastEnders or Waterloo Road, said he hoped children suffering similar illnesses would stay positive.

He said: “[My heart problems] have been a bit hard but with the support of my friends it has been OK.

“You do not have to feel scared or worried. I think being different is a good thing.

“I do not like being the same because you do not get as many opportunities [in life]. [My message to others] would be keep fighting and keep believing.”

Miss Ssewamala, a former charity worker who is studying for a housing degree at Southbank University, said her son had been taunted by school bullies because he put on weight after taking steroids for his condition.

But she said he had never given up hope for the future and was committed to his acting career.

She said: “I always tell him not to worry [about the bullies]. As long as you know who you are, you can ignore them. I pray that he can get into acting because I know that would be the icing on the cake.”

She added: “The fact this foundation is going, it keeps my head together. I am glad we can give kids a second chance.”

For more information visit the Keith Heart Foundation website at www.keithheartfoundation.org.