DOCTORS feared baby Elliott might not make it to his first birthday.

But 25 years later mum Gail Folland says she could not be more proud of her son.

The 49-year-old from Covingham said of civil servant Elliott: “I am so proud of the amazing young man he has grown into. He is funny, clever and has a heart of gold. He is also my best friend.

“Looking at him now, you would never believe he had such a shaky start to his life.”

He was born around three months prematurely in November 1993. After experiencing labour pains for a month, Gail was found by her doctor to be two centimetres dilated.

She was put on a drip to try and postpone the labour, then given steroids in a bid to grow her unborn baby’s lungs to help him cope with the trauma of a premature birth.

“I was asked if I wanted a tour of the special care baby unit at Princess Margaret Hospital, but declined as I was sure that my baby wasn’t about to be born. It was November after all and my baby wasn’t due until February,” said Gail.

In the run up to Elliott’s birth, Gail began to feel scared. Four days after being put on the drip she gave birth: “He let out the tiniest cry, which was such a relief to hear, then he was whisked off by the SCBU team where he would spend the first three months of his life.”

Elliott battled medical complications ranging from a hole in his heart to pneumonia: “It was a complete whirlwind as my precious baby boy fought for his life.

“He wasn’t expected to survive due to the complexity of some of the health issues he had. And if he did he might not reach his first birthday.”

Gail is backing Great Western Hospital’s £175,000 campaign, which the Adver is backing, to buy five new state-of-the-art incubators. The cribs boast heated cushions and enormous fold-away walls to let parents cradle their new child.

Last year, she ran the Severn Bridge half-marathon to raise £740 for the unit and took on the 10k Severn race this year for the appeal.

She praised the commitment of the staff on SCBU: “Nothing was ever too much trouble for them and they kept me informed every step of the way on Elliott’s progress.”

Although Elliott works as a civil servant, he is a keen musician. He passed his Grade 8 singing exam aged 15 and performs at venues around the town.

“I will never forget Elliott’s time in SCBU,” Gail said. “It is something that will stay with me forever. It's down to the staff’s expert care and knowledge that he is here today and I will always be in debt to them for that.”

To donate to the SCBU incubator appeal, call Brighter Futures on 01793 605631.