Leo’s greatest gift

Vicky Carty, 45, Preston

Placing a bundle in a blanket in my arms, the nurse pulled the curtain around my hospital bed.

So this was it, I was a mum.

‘Just me and you kid, ’ I said to my newborn, Leo.

I was a single mother but vowed that my boy would never want for anything.

I’d love and protect him no matter what.

Things got tough early.

After routine check-ups, at 8 weeks Leo was diagnosed with Williams syndrome.

A rare congenital disorder with no cure, it meant Leo would have heart