Adie James is only eight months old but he has already been through more emergencies than most people face in a lifetime.

He was born four months early and weighed only 1lb 5oz.

Doctors did not expect him to last the night but Adie defied the experts and has successfully fought for survival over and over again.

Now his parents Maxine and Stuart want to thank all the people who helped look after him by raising money for the Trevor Mann baby unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

Adie was taken there last September after being born at Worthing Hospital.

Mrs James, 28, arrived at Worthing in labour, despite being only 24 weeks pregnant.

Adie was not due until New Year's Day and staff tried in vain to halt the contractions. An ambulance team with an incubator was put on stand by and, as soon as the baby was born, he was taken to the specialist unit at Brighton.

His lungs were not fully formed and staff warned Mr and Mrs James his chances of surviving the next 48 hours were very low.

Adie managed to fight back but doctors said there was still a good chance he would not make it to the end of the week.

Mrs James, of Bristol Avenue, Lancing, said: "He had so many setbacks but he just kept coming through time and time again.

"There was so much that could go wrong and it tended to go wrong with him. He was on a tiny ventilator and kept getting infection after infection."

She and her husband kept a vigil by the incubator as their baby somehow made it through each crisis.

The breakthrough came after seven long weeks when Mrs James was finally able to hold her son for the first time.

She said: "It was an overwhelming moment. A wonderful day. We finally felt we were starting to get somewhere."

Adie was still very frail in the months up to Christmas but gradually started to build up his strength.

He was eventually transferred back to Worthing Hospital and arrived home three weeks later.

Mrs James said: "We were so happy to get him home. We felt we could now get on and do some proper parenting.

"The hospital staff were all absolutely wonderful and did so much for him but we wanted him at home."

Adie still needs extra oxygen 24 hours a day and has a slight heart enlargement. He is also profoundly deaf.

In spite of these obstacles doctors are happy with his progress and it is hoped he will eventually be able to come off the oxygen.

Today, he is 12lb 8oz and, although he still has medical problems, he is a happy and contented baby.

Mrs James said: "He still has a long way to go but he is going in the right direction."

Now the family, including Adie's grandmother Tina Russell, are raising money for the Trevor Mann unit and have already handed over £1,500 from events including a charity keep-fit session.

Mrs Russell and her son Shane are taking part in the London-to-Brighton bike ride on June 15 to raise more.