A baby boy with an extremely rare skin condition finally got to go home on Monday for the first time - just in time for England's first World Cup Match.
Louis Baxter, just three weeks old, was born with a rare skin disorder called epidermolysis bullosa (EB) which causes the skin - both on the outside and inside of the body - to be fragile and at high risk from tearing.
When Leanne Moffitt and Ryan Baxter from Yarm welcomed their baby into the world on 31 October, they had no idea they would be in for such a difficult journey.
It was only when a nurse noticed a strange looking mark on Louis’s skin that resembled a burn that investigations began and the baby was diagnosed.
He was subsequently moved to the hospital's special care baby unit at University Hospital of North Tees where he was put on treatment to improve his condition.
After three weeks of treatment, baby Louis’s proud parents were finally allowed to take him home on Monday, just in time to support the England team in their first World Cup game against Iran, which they went on to win.
To mark the momentous occasion, Leanne and Ryan dressed the brave baby boy in a special onesie which read "football is coming home... and so am I."
Speaking about her baby’s shock diagnosis, teaching assistant Leanne said “It was a real shock finding out. It’s super rare so we hadn’t heard of it before.
"But the support we’ve had at North Tees has been amazing – we wouldn’t be home right now if it wasn’t for the team up there."
Determined to learn more about Louis’s condition so she can give him the best care, Leanne tasked herself with learning as much about the skin disorder as possible, including how to help prevent painful breakouts on his skin.
Leanne and stay-at-home dad Ryan have now been taught by the specialist team at the hospital how to manage Louis’s care at home. This includes how to safely pop blisters, dress his wounds and how to manage his pain, as well as how to dress him and manage his feeding and sleeping.
Leanne continued: "At first it was daunting – all the lotions and potions and different kinds of bandages – but now I feel a lot more confident. And dad is a dab hand at cutting the bandages. He stays up at night doing it so we’re ready.
"But Louis’ not just a baby with EB. He’s more than that, he’s a beautiful little boy and he’ll have every opportunity and be able to do anything he wants."
Now, three weeks after his birth, the doting parents are now enjoying life at home with their new-born, along with Louis’s older siblings, Sam, 11 and Willow who is two-years old.
Dad, Ryan, 36, said: "We could not, for a second, fault the teams at North Tees and the specialist EB team who visited. They’ve not just looked after Louis but they’ve looked after us as well.
"And the team on the special care baby unit all got really attached to Louis and even got a bit emotional when he left. It’s a little family up there – they’re just too amazing to put into words."
University Hospital of North Tees’s specialist baby unit is well known for looking after premature and sick babies. The unit is open 24/7 to allow parents to spend as much time with their little ones as possible.
Janice Atkinson, ward manager on the special care baby unit, said: "We’re so proud of Leanne and Ryan – they very quickly rose to the challenge they faced and became absolute experts in Louis’ specialised care.
"They’ve gone from learning about a condition they’d never heard of to this week being able to take Louis home after three weeks in hospital, ready for their continued journey ahead.
"We’ll miss seeing Louis’ little face but we know he is in the best possible hands with mum and dad."
