HE was given just a 10 per cent chance of survival.

Chris Stewart was not expected to pull through after he suffered an internal decapitation in an horrific grass track racing accident.

Yet he defied the odds and a nearly decade later has celebrated his 21st birthday.

Chris’ mini car slammed into a barrier during the race at Tongham Motor Club nine years ago leaving him with a severe spinal injury that very few people survive.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital where he underwent a six-hour, ground-breaking operation to re-attach his head to his top vertebrae using metal plates and bone-grafts.

Chris, from Fareham, was just 11 years old at the time and his mum Debbie Stewart praised the work done by the emergency crews, who she invited to his party at the Hoeford Inn in Fareham.

She said: “The immediate first aid care Chris received from the St John Ambulance crew prevented him from suffering any permanent spinal damage, which is astonishing given the severity of his injury.

“We’ll always be eternally grateful for everything they did and I felt it was important for them to celebrate Chris’ 21st birthday with him – a personal landmark we never would have dreamed he’d reach in the days following the accident.

“It’s wonderful to see them together and for them to see how he’s been able to lead a normal life. It’s thanks to them, the fire service, the doctor and paramedics that attended, and the expertise of the surgeons who treated him, that Chris has the life he does today. He really is a miracle.”

Chris said: “It’s been an amazing day and weekend, filled with all the special people in my life. And I even got to see someone that saved my life again! Who could ask for a better 21st birthday?”

St John Ambulance volunteers Richard Coleman, Steven Fish and Elaine Dowling got to see what a difference their first aid skills had made to his life.

They were joined by others who had also been involved in saving his life, including nurses and doctors from the hospital and the rehabilitation specialists who got him back on his feet.

Just days before the crash, the Alton volunteers had taken part in a mock incident at Alton fire station, where they rehearsed almost the same situation. As luck would have it, the same Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the track on the day of Chris’ crash.