A seven-year-old Ferndale boy is giving back for all the prayers and presents that poured into his family.

Jake Finkbonner was near death this time last year, as a flesh eating bacteria attacked his face.

Jake, however, is a typical seven year old, full of energy. We saw that, as we watched him leap from the family's minivan and give us a great big, "hi."

He's happy, even though he is back at Children's Hospital for yet another doctor's appointment. He's had more than a year of doctors and surgeries.

It all started with a simple game of basketball on the playground. Jake bumped his lip and a flesh-eating bacteria entered his system and attacked his face.

At that time his parents told us they just wanted prayer for their little boy so that he could celebrate his seventh birthday, then live the rest of his life.

And their wish came true.

On Tuesday, they sang happy birthday to Jake - not in a hospital bed as they did last year, but at a big party in Bellingham.

"Yeah, I had lots of people over. Mostly my friends," Jake said. "They came over and brought gift bags. I didn't really want toys, so they brought me gift bags - lotion and shampoo and all that stuff."

"Oh yeah, if it wasn't for his friends who contributed, a lot of this wouldn't be as big as it is," said Jake's mom, Elsa Finkbonner.

Jake wanted to donate many of the presents he received in the hospital and for his birthday. He delivered those toys and games to Children's Hospital, for other kids in the hospital to enjoy.

But he wanted to do even more. He and his mom assembled dozens of care kits for parents who end up coming into the emergency room with their children.

"It's like when my mom and dad, when they came here, they had nothing. They just saw me get in the ambulance and they just got in the car and drove off here," Jake explained.

"Rather than taking everything for ourselves, it's good to be able to give back," 'Elsa added. "And for him, having just come from the hospital, he realized how much everybody helped him. So this was his way of giving back to everybody who helped us."

They certainly had a lot of help along the way, mostly from doctors at Children's Hospital.

Surgeons had to cut out the infected tissue in Jake's face to save his life. Now they're going to work to repair the damage.

Jake's had about 20 surgeries so far. He has another one coming up this spring, when doctors will start reconstructing his face.

Elsa says Jake's doctor plans to have all of Jake's scars covered by the end of the year.

"It's hope for us that he is going to help Jake and his appearance and it's not quite so much life saving measures that we're taking it's for reconstruction. And it will be good. We have hope and Dr. Hopper," she said.