The teenage parents of a five-month-old baby have been left heartbroken after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Demi Miller and her partner Jamie Deary, both aged 18, say little Carter-J-Deary had seemed a “happy and healthy” boy.

But now their son must undergo two years of chemotherapy, leaving the couple “incredibly worried” about the long-term effects.

The pair, who live in Aylesham, between Canterbury and Dover, first noticed something was wrong over Christmas when Carter became unusually drowsy and pale.

Initially, doctors suspected constipation and prescribed medication on New Year’s Eve.

However, later that night, Carter became violently sick, prompting Demi and Jamie to rush him to the QEQM Hospital in Margate.

Blood tests revealed severe anaemia and doctors raised the possibility of blood cancer.

Carter was immediately referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where further tests confirmed the leukaemia diagnosis.

The news left Demi and Jamie, who have been together since the age of 12, in complete shock.

“Normally, Carter’s full of energy, and it’s a struggle to get him down for a nap,” said Demi.

“But for two weeks, he was so sleepy and hard to wake up. He just wasn’t himself.

“It went from something so little to something so big. He had no complications at all for the first four-and-a-half months of his life.

“The whole thing is heartbreaking. One day he was completely fine, and the next minute all of our lives changed.”

Carter is preparing to start chemotherapy this week and will receive the treatment for two years.

While doctors are optimistic about curing the cancer, they warned of potential long-term effects, including the possibility of learning difficulties.

Demi added: “He’s so young, and they don’t know how it’s going to affect him.

“They have warned us of some side effects including how it could impact his brain. It's an incredibly worrying time for all of us.

“It’s hit us both very hard, but their plan is to cure it. They think we caught it quite early, and that gives us hope.”

Doctors informed the family that if Carter had not been brought in when he was, his condition could have worsened dramatically.

“They told us if we had waited another two weeks, they don’t know what state he would’ve been in,” Demi explained.

Demi, a hairdresser, and Jamie, a builder, are both taking time off work to care for Carter during his treatment.

The former Canterbury Academy pupils told this paper they “love being parents”.

“When we found out I was pregnant at just 17, it was certainly a surprise,” Demi added.

“It wasn’t something that was planned, but as soon as we got over that, it was the best news ever.

“We were both loving being new parents and Carter has been the easiest baby ever. We just can't believe he has to go through this.”

Since the news of Carter's cancer battle, a friend of the family has set up a fundraiser to support the couple.

More than £3,000 has been donated already.

Demi says she has been “overwhelmed” by the support, adding: “I just want to thank everyone who has donated so far.

“As me and Jamie are both not working at the moment we can use this money to continue to support Carter through his cancer journey.

“We know there is a long road ahead but we are hopeful we can make it through this together.”