A family are celebrating their own festive miracle after a baby overcame a serious illness in time to spend his first Christmas at home.

Little Owen Rice was born to parents Laura and Matthew at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital on February 21 after a seemingly normal pregnancy and labour, weighing a healthy 10lb 3oz.

But within minutes Owen was being rushed away by hospital staff, who gave his parents the devastating news the newborn was suffering from a mystery, life-threatening illness.

Laura, who already had son Lucas, then aged two, said: “After a perfectly normal, albeit speedy, labour we were surprised when nurses whisked Owen away for observation.

“We presumed everything was OK and they just needed to do some standard tests. It felt like the entire world stopped when they came back and told us he was in a critical condition and had a less than 50% chance of survival.

“They were unable to tell us why Owen was so poorly – just that he needed to be transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital [GOSH]. We were devastated and felt so helpless.”

Leaving Lucas with family members and with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and some loose change in their pockets, the terrified parents followed Owen to London, where doctors spent a week trialling different treatments and struggling to make a diagnosis.

At one point the baby was being ventilated and taking 14 types of medication.

For the first few days Laura and Matthew stayed in the parents’ accommodation at GOSH, but when they realised they would need to be there longer, and decided they wanted Lucas to be with them, the family turned to The Sick Children’s Trust’s Rainbow House.

“To see our little baby going through so much was really distressing,” said Laura.

“After a couple of days, when the situation had calmed down a little, we realised the best way to cope and get through Owen’s illness was to stay together as a family.

"We missed Lucas so much and were desperate for him to come and join us in London.

“However, he was unable to stay in the room we had at GOSH.

“Rainbow House was a ‘home from home’ just around the corner from the hospital. We were welcomed into the house by Sandra and given a family room.

“We spent most of our time on the ward with Owen, but it was great to be able to go back to the house for a break, especially for Lucas, who loved the playroom full of toys!

“We cooked all our meals in the house and ate together at the dining table, which helped to give us some semblance of normal life.

“We could come and go, reassured that if Owen needed us we could be there in just a five-minute walk.”

After a week Owen was well enough to be transferred back to the William Harvey, where he was given an emotional welcome by staff.

Laura said: “At the William Harvey we were greeted by the same nurse who was on duty the night Owen was transferred.

“Upon seeing Owen and us all together she burst into tears, saying she didn’t think she would see him again as his condition was so critical.

“Doctors are still unsure what caused Owen’s condition – they suspect the quick labour could have been stressful on his body and he may have had pneumonia.”

Now Laura, Matthew, Lucas and Owen are looking forward to spending Christmas at home, but they will never forget the support they received at Rainbow House.

The relieved mum said: “Owen really is our little miracle.

“Since leaving Rainbow House we have stayed in touch with Sandra. She came into our lives when we were struggling most and made the biggest difference.

“I honestly feel we will consider her part of our family for the rest of our lives.

“To have our newborn son in intensive care at a hospital miles from home and be separated from Lucas was a situation we never considered.

“Without the help from this wonderful charity I don’t know what we would have done. Rainbow House kept us together as a family, which I know helped Owen recover.”

The family took part in the Hyde Park Walk in the summer to raise funds for Rainbow House and are hoping to host their own fundraising event to mark Owen’s second birthday.

They were also invited to celebrations for Rainbow House's 30th anniversary, where they met actor Michael Crawford, the trust's president.

The Sick Children’s Trust provides free accommodation as well as emotional and practical support for families who have seriously ill children in hospital.

The charity has 10 houses across the UK based at specialist children’s hospitals.