Finding out I was going to be a parent for the first time was an indescribable feeling. Both my partner and I were filled with excitement, anxiety, and joy. At our 20-week scan, we were excited to see our little one, but unfortunately we discovered that he had Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). He was given a 50/50 chance of survival at birth, and we were offered a termination. We immediately refused and chose to continue, as we truly believed he would make it.

The next 20 weeks were extremely stressful, but we never lost hope or belief in our little one. When the big day came, he was born via emergency C-section and was taken immediately to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal London Hospital. The first few days were incredibly tough for our newborn. He was placed into a coma to allow doctors to focus on his breathing, and we were told that they would attempt one final procedure to try to stabilise him. If it didn’t work, we would have the option to transfer him to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), although there was a risk he might not survive the journey.

Thankfully, that same day, a visiting doctor from GOSH agreed with the approach the Royal London doctors had decided on. After much deliberation, the procedure was carried out — and it worked. Ethan stabilised. A few days later, he underwent surgery to repair his diaphragm. Although there were some ups and downs afterwards, he was able to leave hospital seven weeks later.

He is still followed by both GOSH and the Royal London Hospital, but he is now living a completely normal life. He has just learned to ride his bike with two wheels and pedals and will be starting school this year. We are immensely proud of him, especially after all the hardships he faced so early in life.