Cameron Davison is the luckiest boy alive.
In the lead-up to Christmas his parents Richard Davison and Angela Pierce were warned by medical staff to prepare for the worst because their newborn son's heart was failing.
But now 13-week-old Cameron has outlived his initial grim prognosis and is starting to meet his milestones.
"He looks like me, he's a good-looking rooster. He is very chubby, his chicken legs have turned into turkey legs," Davison told the Herald on Sunday.
"We are thrilled his nasogastric tube was removed this week ,we are feeding him with a bottle now. But we have to watch his energy levels,he's drinking 60mls out of his bottle (equivalent to an adult's mouthful) and he gets totally knackered."
Last year Davison, a former dairy farm manager, and his fiancee Pierce were "stoked" to find out their Christmas gift to each other was going to be a baby.
"I was so happy to have my first baby boy," Davison said.
Added Pierce: "He was definitely going to be my last one."
The couple have four children between them - including Monique, 19; Ben, 10; and Edin, who is 2.
Three weeks before Cameron was due, Pierce's midwife noticed an irregular heartbeat.
As Cameron's health deteriorated the family relocated to Auckland for more medical treatment and surgery.
Scans later revealed the baby had a hole in his heart, malformed valves in the heart, a narrowing aorta and a small left ventricle - where the left side of the heart isn't big enough to pump blood to the body.
Three days later Cameron had open-heart surgery and then further surgery to repair his mitral valve.
While medical staff at Auckland's Starship hospital weren't optimistic about Cameron's future, Davison wasn't optimistic about his family's future.
"A week before Christmas, I had no job, no home and possibly no son," he said.
Davison's job "fell through" after Cameron got sick and he had to travel to be with his son. The job provided the family's accommodation.
The couple were told by doctors that they had exhausted all surgical options for their son and, tragically, if he didn't grow he would die.
Miraculously, Cameron left Starship three weeks ago and flew home to Pleasant Point, his parents' home town west of Timaru.
"The doctors were gobsmacked we were leaving so soon because Cameron was so poorly, now they are shocked he's doing so well. It's like having a normal baby at home now. He was in the cardiac ward at Christmas - now he weighs 5kg," Pierce said.
But despite being a "cruisy" baby, Cameron was still considered "fragile" and would need to face more surgery.
"The mitral valve in his heart is not good so they'll remove it and put a little plastic one in, but it means he will need more surgeries throughout his life," Davison said.
"There are other complications as well, he will need blood thinners for the rest of his life to stop the blood from clotting. But this is our new normal now and we are fine about that."
The father-of-four has also started a new job driving a truck- but his son's wellbeing is still his main priority.
The family had been living off donations from a givealittle page that was set up last year.
They wanted to thank Heart Kids in South Canterbury for supplying them with meals, airfares and ongoing support.
For now, the Davisons were grateful to be in their new family home together.
Pierce was proud of her son - an "old soul" with a "sparkle in his eyes".
"He is so determined, whenever the odds are against him he would always bounce back. I didn't think we'd be home so soon and here we are.
"Cameron is like a little old man. He doesn't grizzle but he grumbles - he's just gorgeous. I never thought we'd lose him – he's a tough little bugger. His mission in life is he wants to stay with us."
• https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/heart-surgery-for-our-newborn-son
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