A THREE-year-old boy left fighting for life after being struck down with meningitis is now recuperating at home with his beloved twin.

Little Thomas Procter-Whitham had his left leg amputated to above the knee in February and spent nine days in intensive care at Alder Hey Hospital as his distraught family were told to to ‘prepare for the worst’.

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Despite doctors fears brave Thomas, who has an identical twin George, has made a ‘miraculous recovery’ and was allowed to return home 14 weeks ahead of schedule on Friday.

His mum Zoe Procter, 31, of Sheridan Road, Laneshawbridge, who had been staying at hospital accommodation funded by the Ronald McDonald charity to be near her son, said she was overjoyed to have all her boys back home together again.

She said: “Thomas has made an miraculous recovery, doctors have been shocked by how quickly he has been able to come home - they said that it would take a minimum of six months and he has been allowed home after just two and a half months.

“He was in intensive care for nine days and we were told to ‘prepare for the worst’.

“He bounced back really quickly and was then transferred to a high dependency unit before being moved onto a medical ward. His temperature kept spiking and they weren’t sure why so they have kept him in for the past four weeks to monitor him. Thomas has played a big part in fighting his way back “

Thomas, George, an older brother Braxton, five are now enjoying time together at home, but their care worker mum Zoe has been told that Thomas might not be out of the woods yet.

She said: “Thomas had a huge bleed on his brain and his neurologist said they don’t fully know the extent of any damage.

“It could take up until he is a teenager before we know of any damage caused by the bleed.

“Doctors have said that he could have problems with planning and developing skills, which wouldn’t show until he’s older.

“It is also quite possible that he could develop epilepsy because of the area of brain where the bleed was. Although he hasn’t had any signs of epilepsy yet it could just happen out of the blue one day.

“I think his behaviour has changed because of it too, and it is possible that his balance and memory may have been affected too.”

Zoe says that Thomas has learnt to adapt to losing his leg and is managing to get around the house and has even mastered going up and downstairs on his own.

She added: “At the moment he has a wheelchair but we have no walking frame or prosthetic leg for him. He has been fitted for his leg and we are expecting that he will get it in the next few weeks.

“Every time Thomas grows we will have to go back for another cast and there will be a lot of legs as he is growing up.

“When he is in his late teens he will get a more permanent better quality leg, but a for the time being he will only get a basic one.”

Following Thomas’ initial diagnosis, the community pulled together to raise money for his family.

Various events have taken place across Pendle including events at Newtown Nursery, a raffle organised by Colne man Matthew Eyre, a cake sale at the Helen Green Academy of Dance and a fundraising event at Laneshaw Bridge Primary School.

Zoe, added: “I would like to thank everyone who has helped with the fundraising, especially Nicola Dixon and her daughter Libby Horsfield from Winewall who set up a Go Fund Me page which has raised £1,633.

“We are getting two ramps put in and might need more adaptations in the future which the money will help pay for.”