An engaged couple were given the shocking news their baby would need life-saving heart surgery within two weeks of being born.

Leah Edwards had been carrying her son for 20 weeks when a routine scan showed a heart abnormality.

She then went with fiancé Connor Pearson, 25, for another appointment at Evelina London Hospital where the tot was diagnosed with a rare condition.

The 23-year-old, of Lower Road, Maidstone, said: “We were told he would need life-saving surgery within the first weeks of his life.”

At 8.16pm on January 19, little Phoenix was born but the new family’s celebrations were short lived as just 20 minutes later, he was taken to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit where he spent two days before being moved to the Sky Cardiac Ward.

For the next couple of weeks they could only visit him individually because of Covid restrictions.

Phoenix had surgery on February 1 where they were able to be together as a family for the first time.

'We were told he would need life-saving surgery within the first weeks of his life...'

This lasted five hours and was a success meaning the couple were able to see their baby boy a couple of hours later.

Leah said: “Although we had seen pictures, no one can prepare you for the reality of seeing your baby hooked up to multiple machines and their bodies full of wires and tubes.

“The nurses took their time to explain what everything did and once we realised the purpose of each individual thing, everything seemed less scary.

“They explained that Phoenix spent a long time on the bypass machine as his body had taken a huge hit after surgery.

“But each day we saw small improvements – that gave us hope.”

Phoenix spent 10 days in Paediatric ICU (PICU) before moving back to Sky ward for his recovery. Then on February 21, Leah was able to take him home.

She said: “Each day is a blessing and he has showed us the definition of a warrior.

“We know that he will need more surgeries in the future as his heart grows but for now we are enjoying spending time together as a family and getting to know our little fighter.”

Leah added: “His name resembles the mythical bird that rises from the ashes to live through another cycle of life.

“This is how we know Phoenix will pull through future surgeries, with each one only making him stronger.”

The couple are now organising a charity event on August 20, which will be held at the Civil Service Sports and Social Club in Maidstone, with plans of splitting the money raised between the Ronald McDonald House and Evelina Children’s Hospital.

The teaching assistant said: “There is no amount of words that can explain how grateful we are to have our little Pheonix with us today and it’s all thanks to the Evelina London where he spent the first six weeks of his life and their amazing team of medical staff.

“While Pheonix was in hospital my partner and I stayed no more than a 10-minute walk away at the Ronald McDonald House.

“It became our home away from home for the six weeks. The facilities they have available are endless and if they couldn’t provide something they would always point us in the right direction.

“At our event, we will have stalls, a local ice cream and burger van, a raffle with prizes from businesses such as Maidstone United and The Swan restaurant at West Malling. We will hold a charity football match and have a DJ and band will play.”

So far, they have raised more than £10,000 through a GoFundMe page, doubling their intended target of £5,000 which has been extended to £15,000.

If anyone wants to get involved contact Leah at leahkattie16@gmail.com