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HULL, England, October 23, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – Kaleb Lewis was diagnosed with severe heart problems in the womb: hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he had only half a heart, and an atrial septal defect, meaning blood flowed between the heart chambers.

His parents, Shaun and Kirsty Lewis, were told that there was an eighty-percent probability he would die within a few minutes of birth.

Nevertheless, Kirsty continued with her pregnancy. The couple, who have a four-year-old and an eleven-year-old at home, came to the country's top pediatric surgeons in Birmingham to deliver their beleaguered baby.

Immediately after birth, Kaleb underwent heart surgery. He has undergone what the U.K. Mirror calls “a string of life-or-death emergencies” in his first year.

Now Kaleb has turned one, and his grateful family is celebrating.

The flaming redhead is a smiling chunk – big, happy, and engaged with anyone who looks at him.

His father, 26-year-old Shaun, thankfully explained, “At the start, they told us there wasn't much chance but they'd give it a go.  And they did give it a go.”

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Kaleb had surgery again in February, at three months old. Shortly after, he developed gastroenteritis. In May, he needed more surgery to plug abnormal blood vessels.

But the greatest threat to the baby's life came when he developed a severe infection and pneumonia, and his little lungs collapsed.

The baby was put on a breathing machine, and Shaun and Kirsty were told to expect the worst. Doctors gave Kaleb just two hours to live.

Kirsty shared, “I stopped looking at the numbers on the machines. I just prayed every minute and sat beside him.”

“When they said it was time to let him go, I sat in the kitchen and asked a nurse what happened next,” Shaun shared. “She explained what the doctor would do, how they would come up with the conclusion of death and what would happen to his body.”

“I just needed to plan,” he said.

But Kaleb wasn't giving up so easily. His lungs gained strength, he pulled through, and he's been home since August.

Looking back on their ordeal, both parents share that they have learned a lot about life and love. Shaun explained, “I remember a doctor telling us to take him home and enjoy him.”

Kirsty, 33, told the Hull Daily Mail: “We just get through today and enjoy it minute-by-minute.  I have learned to live for today and today only.”

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With Kaleb gaining strength every day, his grateful dad commented, “He is so loved and I want the world to see him. He shouldn't be here and he is.”

Shaun summarized both his and Kirsty's feelings: “Love is the best medicine. And that is what we have given him.”