A mum has vowed to raise awareness of the risk of a neurological condition in babies born prematurely after feeling like she had "wasted a year" before her son was diagnosed.
Alex Bent, now five, was born by emergency c-section more than two months early (28 weeks) on Boxing Day 2015 to first time parents Mike and Katherine from Leigh.
Weighing just 2lbs 15oz, the infant spent the first two months of his life at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan attached to a feeding tube and machines to help him breathe.
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Despite battling a lung infection, he was eventually discharged and allowed to come home, but it was far from the end of his challenges.
His mum Katherine, 41, said: "Once he got through the horrific time in intensive care, his brain scans were all clear. We thought that was it."
She said the family had "started to put the trauma of his start in life behind [them.]"
But when Alex was a few months old, his parents noticed he wasn't able to sit up on his own, roll over or crawl and his legs "felt tight."
And following a routine check-up on his first birthday, the pair were told something that "turned their lives upside down."
Katherine said: "The paediatrician ordered an MRI and we found out he had Cerebral Palsy."
Cerebral Palsy is a group of conditions that affect movement and coordination.
Symptoms can range in severity and may include swallowing difficulties, speaking problems, vision problems and learning disabilities.
Alex's mum wants to raise awareness of the condition in premature babies, in the hope that parents and doctors can recognise the signs as early as possible.
She said: "I want doctors to be checking premature babies from an earlier age, any preterm delivery for Cerebral Palsy.
"The earlier it's caught the better the treatment is because neural pathways are forming.
"We could have been doing exercises to help. Looking back you'd do anything to get that time back. We feel like we wasted a year."
Despite being 'in and out' of Alder Hey Children's Hospital for neurological, orthopaedic and physiotherapy appointments, Alex is described as "full of life" by his proud mum.
She told The ECHO: "He chats to everyone, none stop. He's intelligent, articulate.
"He loves school, he's obsessed with space and maths."
Alex undergoes regular physiotherapy but the condition - for which there is no cure - means he cannot walk without a walking frame or climb stairs and experiences pain which is managed using daily medication.
Two years ago Alex underwent an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) at Alder Hey children's hospital, which reduces tightness in the limbs.
Describing the effects of the condition, Katherine said: "Before the operation we'd already started to see the impact. His legs would 'scissor' when he walked.
The difference after the procedure was immediate.
Katherine said: "Literally immediately afterwards you could see his legs were more relaxed.
"We though 'wow.' But he was weak, he had to learn everything again."
She described the care her son receives at Alder Hey as 'fantastic.'
She said: "All the staff go above and beyond."
The surgery and regular physio aims to limit Alex's dependence on walking aids as he grows older and avoid further operations.
To help with the cost of equipment such as walkers, Katherine and Mike set up a Just Giving fundraising page which has raised over £14,000 from 207 supporters.
One of the items already purchased is an assisted trike which allows the five-year-old to ride unassisted.
To people who donated, Katherine said: "We're forever grateful. They probably don't know the difference their money has made. It means a brighter and more independent future for Alex."
Donations to the Just Giving page can be found here.
Alex's journey is documented by his dad on Twitter at @AlexWishToWalk.
