The family of a terminally ill boy have told of their pride as he celebrates his 13 birthday - a day they never thought they would see.
Luke Gower, who is 13 today, and lives in Tatenhill, has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, which means he is wheelchair-bound, needs help to breathe and requires round-the-clock care.
Despite his everyday battles with ill health, it doesn’t stop him from playing on his Xbox games console, watching films, "annoying his sisters" and listening to his pop hero Olly Murs.
Luke’s mum Shelly, 42, said the youngster is really excited to become a teenager but it will be a very emotional day as they celebrate the milestone.
Shelly, who is also mum to Chloe, 18 and Paige, 15, said: "He is really excited because he is having a lunch party and then a surprise in the evening.
"Every moment is precious when you have a sick child but it is birthdays like this that really hit home how lucky we are to still have Luke with us.
"When he was 11 he had a crisis and we nearly lost him as a result of a pneumonia infection. We had to make the humongous decision to do what was best for Luke and sign a DNR form so that if something were to happen to Luke they would not resuscitate him. Doctors say he cannot go on life support as he wouldn’t be able to come off it.
"You don’t expect to have to do that for your child and no mum or dad should ever have to go through anything like this but we just count ourselves lucky for the good days."
Shelly said that Luke is currently infection free but he is at a "tricky age" where any infection "could kill him".
She said: "We have to be so careful and things like the cold weather really don’t agree with Luke. He can’t do what other kids his age are doing and he can’t enjoy the snow because it makes him poorly.
"There have been times that we didn’t think we would see this day but luckily he is a fighter and he even has a smile on a bad day."
Shelly said that Luke was "far from a typical teenager" and he doesn’t throw many strops.
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She said: "There are frustrating days when he gets sad and cries for his nana who passed away. He says he wants to be with her and I have to tell him that it is not his time yet, but on the whole he is very upbeat for someone in his condition.
"Luke is very cheeky and tells everyone he sees his name is Geoff, which is a line from the film 22 Jump Street; everyone just falls in love with him.
"I am so proud of Luke and no matter what he is going through he gives me the strength to carry on. It makes me realise that if Luke can do it, I can.
"Luke and his sisters are my world and we all look after each other."
Shelly also had a special message for her "little fighter".
She said: "Happy birthday you cheeky monkey. Keep smiling and keep fighting. We all love you."
