The family of a boy with a rare degenerative condition that means he is unable to eat, sit or stand on his own have spoken of their heartache as he fights for his life.
Milo Browne, from North Shields, suffers from a condition so unique it is known only as M3BHA and there is no diagnosis.
The condition causes Milo to suffer from seizure and respiratory problems and he is unable to talk or eat, sit or stand without being fully supported, meaning he needs 24-hour care.
The 10-year-old's health has recently declined and his respiratory issues have gotten worse, Chronicle Live reports.
Milo now needs 15 litres of oxygen to be stabilised and has been put on a BiPap machine to help sustain his breathing.
His mum and dad, Stephen Browne and Laura Davidson, have been faced with difficult conversations as they fight to keep their boy alive.
Stephen said he had been told by Milo's consultant that if it wasn't for the fact that Paediatric Intensive Care Unit was full, the conversation they would now be having was about end of life treatment.
If Milo's condition worsened it would require him needing more support in the PICU - a move that would see Milo placed on a ventilator and unlikely to come off support.
Stephen said: "As soon as they put Milo on support he is going to go very quickly and that is now the reality that there is no extra support that can be given.
"They do feel they can get him home, it might not be Christmas or this year but it is the aftermath of that. How will he recover? What will he go home on? What will happen the next time he comes in?
"We have to have these conversations now, do we want him intubated? Do we want him in hospital until the end or do we want him home? You never want to make that decision and you don't want your child to suffer.
Milo was admitted to hospital at the end of last year and his health deteriorated again in March.
Stephen said: "March was our biggest fear when he went downhill, with seizures constantly and needing support with his oxygen, and going from a few hours of BiPap and by BiPap and oxygen.
"All it is going to take is something to tip these scales and he's going to plummet even more. It is just the reality that his time is short."
The family hopes Milo is here to share their special moments in the future.
Stephen said: "All these things we had planned for Milo, like walking down the aisle, me and Laura getting married, being able to take him abroad. There's a long list of stuff that we put off and put off.
"Everyone sees him as a happy boy and a smile that melts hearts but when they are standing in front of you saying he is a critical boy, there is a fine line that any blip this is where he goes."
Stephen said a parent never wanted to be in the position he had found himself in.
"He hasn't got that fight left in him. He hasn't got that strength he once had," he said.
