Looking at his smile you would think that Oliver Aisthorpe does not have a care in the world.
But six weeks ago he almost lost his life as a result of contracting sepsis.
Still not one year old yet, his mother Abigail Wardle, 23, was told to prepare for the worst when he fell ill at their home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.
He went on to lose all four limbs, but he is already back at home and he could have his first prosthetic limbs in a matter of months.
Jewellery designer Abigail said: ‘Some people might feel sorry for us but I feel like the luckiest mum in the world – I still have Oliver with us – he might not have any hands or feet but he is still my smiley, brave little boy.
‘What we went through was horrendous and I had never been so scared in my life.
‘But Oliver was so brave that I knew I had to be brave too. I am his mum and it’s my job to fight for him and make him feel safe.
told to give him fluids and Calpol. The next day he deteriorated and he ended up in resuscitation.
Abigail said: ‘He quickly became very pale and lethargic and just wasn’t his usual self. I would cuddle him and he was groaning as though his bones were aching.
‘He eventually stopped crying and was just whimpering, as though he didn’t have the energy to cry.
‘I had just started him on solid food but he wouldn’t eat anything. He only wanted milk but barely drank anything.
‘I knew he was not well and he needed to see a doctor but I didn’t have a clue that he could have had sepsis.
Everything went into a blur for Abigail after that.
She said: ‘His hands and feet had started to go purple, and I just remember thinking he must be cold and telling them to put some socks on him.
‘A doctor sat us down and said: “Your son is very poorly”, I just thought, I know that, he’s in a coma and hooked up to a load of machines, but I had no idea how ill he was.’
A nurse then explained they were unsure if he would survive and he was baptised by the hospital’s chaplain.
But incredibly he pulled through.
Abigail said: ‘Oliver was out of the woods but they kept delaying a date for his amputations to try to save more of his leg – but I could see his body was trying to get rid of it.
‘One day, a nurse was helping me lift Oliver from his bouncy chair back into the bed, and his leg just came away.
‘The doctors came running in and asked me if I wanted to leave the room because it was quite distressing.
‘I told them: “My son’s leg has just fallen off and is hanging on by a thread, I am not going to leave him here”.
‘Once he had his limbs removed, he was like a different child – so happy and full of life, it seemed like a relief for him.’
Speaking about his recovery, Abigail said she was proud of Oliver. She said: ‘I could have come out of the other end of this with no son, so that’s what I focus on.
‘We have our bad days, but I know that there will be better days to come.’