A Nottingham family want to raise awareness and funds to help bring their 'miracle' baby boy home from hospital.
Family friend and Nottingham Forest midfielder Jack Colback is supporting the family on their mission to bring baby Argyle, now five months old, who was born with an extremely rare heart condition.
His mum Charlotte Jakes, a Major in the British Army, and dad Kenny Jakes, an ex-paratrooper, of south Nottingham, said their son was born with an extra left aorta vessel which was wrapped around his trachea, restricting his breathing.
Argyle and his twin sister Thorunn were born after a high-risk pregnancy via C-section on October 24, 2018 at 35 weeks, and they both initially seemed happy and healthy.
However, at just seven weeks old, on December 12, Kenny said he noticed he was turning blue and was visibly distressed.
Charlotte, who has done tours of Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland, said: "Kenny scooped him up and sprinted out of the door through the village giving him breaths along the way to the village health centre.
"Daddy saved him. He literally ran through the village to the health centre.
"He was blue and limp and was found to have no output. The surgery was excellent, oxygen and CPR was given, and he was taken into Queen's Medical Centre by ambulance. "
Baby Argyle was then taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital where he was operated on, to remove the vessel from his trachea that had grown tighter as he was getting bigger.
He also tested positive for Swine Flu and Type-A flu after the successful surgery - and the medical team said it was a 'miracle' he had survived after it was discovered both his bronchi - two smaller airways which branch from the larger trachea - had collapsed.
Since the operation, Argyle has been fitted with an artificial airway and must carry a ventilator around, his mum said, to ensure he can breathe properly.
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Charlotte added: "He has to carry his oxygen tank everywhere he goes, his little R2D2 as I like to call it.
"He's been really resilient, he's our little miracle baby. But he's been in hospital for almost five months and we just want him to come home to his twin sister and his four-year-old brother, Hamish.
"It has been very disruptive, especially for Hamish. We have been here, there and everywhere and it was Christmas time. It was meant to be really a happy time for us all, but friends and family have been amazing with him."
Family friend and central midfielder for Nottingham Forest, Jack Colback, has been "very supportive" from the very first day, says Charlotte.
She added: "Jack Colback and his family have been very supportive from the very first day of the terrible incidence with Argyle.
"They were very empathetic in realising the demands of juggling family life with an extremely sick child in hospital plus another new born twin as well as our lovely four-year-old.
"They have helped with play dates and have been so kind to our eldest son who completely adores them.
"They also realised that our first Christmas with the twins was completely ruined and that the whole family was split up over Christmas and New Year, to soften the disappointment and try and help, they sent us a wonderful Christmas hamper which was very thoughtful and kind."
Charlotte said they need funding for a support care package to allow him to live at home.
She said: "We just want to make his world a happy place. Neither of us have conventional jobs and do not have predictable working hours.
"The care package available is offering some overnight assistance and only minimal daytime help, which would not allow us to work full-time and therefore keep our home.
"We are also facing the additional costs of adapting our lifestyle to accommodate a sick child.
"We need to purchase a new vehicle as our current car is not large enough to cope with a family of five, and the oxygen bottles and additional equipment required if we want to travel anywhere with Argyle.
"We will also need to convert one of our rooms to accommodate the needs of a long-term ventilated child.
"It is a very worrying time trying to balance all elements of family life. The care package could take months and months to resolve. Argyle could even see his first birthday in hospital when there are no medical reasons for him to be there."
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Charlotte added that one day baby Argyle might be able to breathe on his own, as when he is older and "stronger" he may be able to have a long-term tracheostomy to give him a stable airway.
But for now, they need to get little Argyle home - and readers can help them here via the family's gofundme page.
So far, £13,4800 has been raised towards the goal of £50,000.
