Ellis was just two weeks old when his mother, Chelcie, noticed he had become unusually sleepy and started vomiting violently after a normal day of shopping. Something felt terribly wrong. She immediately called 111 and was directed to an out-of-hours doctor late at night. The moment the doctor examined Ellis, alarm bells rang. He was rushed into emergency care and the family was told he had a critical heart problem.

The diagnosis was hypoplastic left heart syndrome — only half of his heart was working properly. Doctors were astonished he had survived even two days, let alone two full weeks. Within hours of arriving at the specialist centre in Bristol, Ellis underwent his first emergency operation. The weeks that followed involved intensive care and a second open heart procedure, but this little fighter kept defying every grim prediction.

“That terrifying diagnosis revealed what a fighter your boy truly is, mama. You followed your gut when no one else saw the danger. Those early battles made you unbreakable. You’re not just his mum… you’re the reason this little warrior is still here.”