Toddler finally home from hospital for Christmas

A toddler who has been in hospital for most of his life is preparing to spend his first Christmas at home after finally being discharged.

Nineteen-month-old Bertie Melly had severe health issues when he was born prematurely at 24 weeks, weighing just 1lb 10oz (0.7kg).

As well as needing help to breathe, he was found to have a life-threatening illness affecting his intestines. He has undergone five operations - the first at just 10 days old.

After spending more than 500 days in hospital, Bertie is now at home in Bromley, south-east London, with his parents, Phoebe and Callum Melly, who say he is "making really good progress".

Bertie was born after a 17-minute labour at London's St Thomas' Hospital in May 2024.

Shortly afterwards, he was diagnosed with necrotising enterocolitis, a condition which causes tissue in the intestines to become inflamed and start to die.

After spending the first six months of his life in neonatal intensive care he was moved to Evelina London Children's Hospital.

He is still being fed by tube and receiving nutrients through an intravenous drip.

However, Mrs Melly said Bertie had been making "really good progress" medically and had been "thriving" since coming home in November.

She added: "He's physically developing really well, I think he's not that far off walking now.

"He's climbing up the stairs, on and off the sofa, and getting a bit more confident with his standing."

Mr Melly said: "We've only been home for four weeks, but it's almost a distant memory now being at the hospital, which is really nice, just so normal."

Bertie's parents hope to wean him off his drip and on to solid food within the next year.

"If he can get that line out, then it means we can have a pretty much normal life until he's eating enough to get the milk pump removed as well," Mr Melly said.

He added that his son was the "happiest child you will ever meet".

He said: "Considering everything he's been through - if you see his hands, his hands are covered in scars from the amount of cannulas he's had, he's got gaping scars all over his his abdomen - and he wakes up beaming, goes to bed, beaming.

"He's a remarkable little human being."

In recent weeks, the couple have taken Bertie to see Father Christmas, although Mrs Melly said he was "more interested in all the decorations".

The couple said they were "eternally grateful" to the team at the Evelina for everything they did for Bertie.

Iain Yardley, consultant paediatric and neonatal surgeon at Evelina London, who was involved in Bertie's care, said: "Bertie has faced many, many challenges in his short life.

"He and his parents have faced these challenges with extraordinary grace and courage.

"Seeing him go home is what we all have been working for and we could not be more pleased for him and his family."