A family are hoping to bring their 15-month-old son home from hospital for the first time since he was born - just in time for Christmas.

Cassie Walsh gave birth to twin boys, Arnie and Buddy Lee, last year when she was only 30 weeks pregnant.

Both the boys had to go on breathing apparatuses and received around-the-clock medical attention.

Arnie quickly became better and was allowed to go home but Buddy Lee's condition became worse.

Buddy Lee was unfortunately diagnosed with the rare illness, Necrotising Enterocolitis - or more commonly known as NEC.

A condition that affects roughly only one in 10,000 babies, it meant that Buddy Lee needed a bag for his faeces to pass into from his intestines - called a Stoma Closure.

Buddy Lee's condition was so bad that he once accidentally pushed his bowels out from straining when using the toilet.

He has also had to endure four life-saving operations, multiple organ failure, a stroke and sepsis.

Yet, after worrying that their son might not survive, the family were told by doctors that he will be able to come home soon from the Royal London Hospital.

Initially, Buddy Lee was supposed to be coming home on Monday November 27, but this date was set back as he was still not well enough.

The family not believe that he will be home the following Monday, just in time for Christmas.

His family are proud of their son, who has dealt with more serious health issues in the first 15 months of his life than many people do in their entire existence.

Buddy Lee's father, Sam Nudson, a 27-year-old scaffolder from Grays, said: "He's a fighter.

"We're so lucky that he has pulled through all these times."

Only 283 children in the UK have Buddy Lee's condition.

With the amount of setbacks Buddy Lee has had, he is lucky to be alive.

His case is so exceptional, the surgeon working with him used it while teaching a lecture in Cyprus.

After spending so long in hospital, Buddy Lee is now set to visit his family home for the first time, where he will join his Mum, Dad, twin-brother and nine-year-old sister, Logan.

Owing to the amount of time he spent in hospital, Buddy Lee initially did not form a close bond with his family.

Although they visited him every day, he at first became more attached to the nurses.

But as Buddy Lee has become healthier, that has changed.

Cassie said: “For a long time, he didn’t see me as Mum.

"I was there every day, but he didn’t look at me as his Mum - he would only really respond to nurses.

"But, now, he can’t stop calling me Mum."

Buddy Lee's family now want other parents who have children with his condition to hear their story.

They want to stand in solidarity with these parents and let them know that it is possible for their children to pull through.

“It’s not always a bad ending, some people do get their happy every after. We want people to see that he is a fighter.

“I don’t think there is ever going to be a better present than bringing my son home for Christmas.”

When Buddy Lee comes home, he will still need stomach pumps for the time being.