The whole family had shed countless tears before a remarkable moment of hope finally arrived for little Leo and everyone who loved him.

Aimee Roberts, 25, revealed how devastated she was when she learned that her newborn son, Leo, had a congenital heart condition just days after his arrival.

Aimee and her husband, Alex Nicholls, 26, were told by doctors that their little boy needed surgery to widen a heart valve, and the outlook was extremely concerning.

“I had never cried so much in my life,” Aimee recalled, remembering the day she handed her son over to the medical team for anesthesia when he was just seven days old. “I cried for weeks. The reality was absolutely heartbreaking for me. I couldn’t stop crying whenever I thought about him.”

Leo’s father, Alex, was equally emotional: “We had to take in so many new medical terms. We were suddenly thrown into a world where nobody knew exactly what would happen next. I had no idea where things would lead.”

“We had to learn everything about cardiac surgery, ECGs, measurements, blood tests, charts, risks and our son’s chances of survival. Going through all of this made us realize that nothing makes you feel more helpless than placing your baby in the hands of doctors while hoping against hope that he will be okay. I had cried until I had no tears left.”

Leo was born on November 6, one week earlier than expected, at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol. He was diagnosed with four different heart abnormalities.

Doctors discovered that he had a narrowing of the aorta, abnormal blood flow, small openings in his heart and an underdeveloped pulmonary valve with only two leaflets instead of the usual three.

His mother, Aimee, struggled with feelings of guilt. “At first, I couldn’t believe the diagnosis. I kept asking myself whether there was anything else I could have done to help him. But doctors explained that his condition was congenital and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.”

Leo weighed 3.2kg at birth, but his weight dropped by around 2kg because he was so unwell, leaving him too fragile for surgery. Doctors had to wait another week for him to reach a suitable weight before performing the major operation.

The procedure carried serious risks, including the possibility of not surviving, paralysis, infection, spinal cord damage, stroke and internal bleeding — possibilities the family could hardly bear to imagine.

Before surgery, Leo had to remain in preparation for four hours and was not allowed to eat or drink. Every passing hour felt unbearable for Aimee, Alex, Leo’s grandmother and his aunt as they waited anxiously for news.

But then came the moment they had all been praying for: the operation was a success.

“His eyes were swollen, he couldn’t really respond to what was happening around him, and his tiny body was covered in tubes and breathing equipment,” Aimee recalled.

During his first week after surgery, Leo experienced five episodes of complications and infections, making his recovery even more challenging.

“There are still two heart-related issues that need to be monitored before doctors decide whether he will need further surgery. But he has done so incredibly well. Our little boy is truly a fighter!” his proud mother said.