A Powys mum whose newborn son was given just a 20 per cent chance of walking, talking or sitting up is to run the Cardiff Half Marathon to support the charity she says helped save his life.
Zoe Rees, 32, from Caersws, will take on the race on October 4 for the Welsh Air Ambulance, after her son Llew was airlifted to hospital at just seven hours old.
Now five years old, Llew has defied medical expectations and is thriving, prompting Zoe and her family to give back to the service that came to their aid during one of the most traumatic moments of their lives.
Zoe said everything had appeared normal during her pregnancy until complications arose during labour at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth in October 2020.
"He was just seven hours old when I was breastfeeding on the ward, and he started to have a seizure on me," she said.
"He needed to be airlifted to Singleton Hospital where he then had a further two seizures."
Doctors later discovered the seizures had been caused by a lack of oxygen during birth.
For Zoe and her husband Peter, the experience was terrifying.
"It was horrific watching him being taken away," she said.
"However, the ambulance crew were so incredible and gave so much reassurance."
At Singleton Hospital in Swansea, Llew was admitted to neonatal intensive care and underwent an MRI scan aged three days.
Doctors found scarring on his brain and warned his parents there was only a one-in-five chance he would be able to walk, talk or sit independently.
"We'd just moved into a new house the week before and we started thinking the worst," Zoe recalled.
"How will he walk up the stairs? Will he ever get to play football?"
The damage affected the motor side of Llew's brain and doctors warned there was a high risk he could develop epilepsy.
While the prognosis was bleak, Zoe and Peter threw themselves into intensive physiotherapy while waiting to see how their son developed.
"We found ourselves wishing he was two when he was born, just so we could know what life would be like for him," she said.
Then came a remarkable turnaround.
Llew began reaching every milestone expected of him, firstly clapping and laughing, then crawling and ultimately walking.
"Llew's hit every one of his milestones. It's absolutely insane," Zoe said.
"We live in such a rural area, so time really was so precious.
"However, he was in the air ambulance so quickly that they saved him and his quality of life too."
The family had long made a promise to themselves that if Llew was ever able to walk, they would run the Cardiff Half Marathon in gratitude.
"We were devastated to think that sport might be taken away from him, so we always had it in the back of our minds that if Llew could ever walk it would be a sign to run the Cardiff Half Marathon to raise money," Zoe said.
"It’s taken a long time for us to feel strong enough to talk about what happened, but Llew is so active and loves running.
"We really do owe everything to the air ambulance.
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"It's not just a helicopter, but it's the staff that work there as well. They're incredible."
She said the charity's crews even gave the family a blanket featuring a helicopter and a certificate marking Llew's first flight, helping them explain his story as he grew older.
Joining Zoe on the start line will be husband Peter, her two sisters and her father, all raising money for the Welsh Air Ambulance.
"Running was never a sport we took part in, so training for the half has opened up a whole world for us all," she said.
"Peter and I now have date nights running, and on Boxing Day the whole family went out for a run."
Matt Newman, chief executive of event organisers Run 4 Wales, said: "We wish Zoe and her family the best of luck with the rest of their training and look forward to cheering them around the course on race day."
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