WHEN her son Josh was born Worcestershire mum Rachel Stringer feared he wouldn’t survive the week.

Complications during his birth at Worcestershire Royal Hospital meant within minutes of being born he had to be rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Josh was suffering with congenital pneumonia and respiratory distress after he was born with the umbilical cord around his neck. But after five days of perseverance and hard work by the staff in the unit, Josh pulled through and celebrated his third birthday on Sunday.

After having time to accept what happened to her son, Mrs Stringer, of Martley, near Worcester, wanted to thank the staff at the unit for saving him.

Along with her husband, she decided to hold a fund-raising event at the Cob House Fisheries and returned to the unit for the first time in three years to present them with a cheque for £701.50.

“I had to do the fund-raiser for the unit,” said Mrs Stringer. “They are amazing. They were so friendly and understanding. “They were there for me and nothing was to much. I couldn’t move on before I did something for them.

“When I had Josh he had the umbilical cord around his neck and had stopped breathing. About eight people came running in and whisked him away.

“After two days in the neonatal intensive care unit they said they had done everything they could medically and it was up to him. By day five, he was in his incubator and his stats were still dropping. Two hours later I went back with my husband and son and his incubator was empty, I thought what’s happened and then I saw him in the cot. He was my little fighter.

“The staff were great, and the nurse who was on duty when Josh was born, Vicky Bullock, even came to the fund-raiser and she will be accepting the cheque.” The family have since welcomed another little girl, Jessamy, despite Mrs Stringer vowing not to have any more children.

“She was born in the same delivery suite as Josh, but everything was fine this time. It has taken me three years to accept what happened although I don’t think you ever get over it. I owe the staff in the unit my life for what they did for Josh and I.”