MUM IN A MILLION - Meet the young woman who has become 'mum' to her five siblings at the age of 21 - after they lost their mother to a sudden illness
Image by: Shannon Ellis
Meet the 23-year-old who has become mum to her five siblings as well as her own two kids - after her mother's sudden death.
Shannon Ellis was just 22 when she stepped up to care for the brood of seven after her mum Shelley, 39, died in January this year.
This Mother's Day she received handmade cards, boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers from her brother and sister.
The brood will also paid tribute to Shelley by visiting the tree where they spread her ashes near the park she used to take them to.
Shannon - who was already a mum to her own children - Harrison, three, and Rowan, two - was devastated when she lost her mum.
But rather than see her siblings placed in care, Shannon volunteered to raise them as her own, under one roof.
She took them in with her partner, Kieran Ferguson, 23, at their home in Hartlepool, County Durham.
She is the legal guardian for her five siblings - Mia, 16, Neve, 15, Bracken, 13, Keevie, 10, and Blaine, eight.
Shannon, who is a full-time mum, said: "I always wanted to be a mum, but I never imagined I'd have to fill my own mum's shoes and go from a mum-of-two to a mum-of-seven overnight.
"But I promised mum I'd look after my brother and sisters.
"She'd have hated to see them split up or in care, I never would have let that happen.
"We have our moments, but we're still one big, happy family - just as mum wanted.
"Mum was just brilliant.
"She did everything to provide for us - despite being a single parent and raising us all on her own.
"She'd take us on family trips to the seaside and would muck in with us playing games. On a Saturday night she'd always rustle up a huge home-cooked feast.
"We had an amazing childhood and always felt very loved and protected by her.
"She made me want to have children of my own and she was over-the-moon when she became a grandmother to my two little boys."
Shannon was born seven years before her next sibling, so for the first years of her life, she and mum Shelley were inseparable.
“I was her mini-me,” Shannon said. “We would do everything together.
“She was both mum and dad to me as my father wasn't on the scene - but she was also my best friend in the world.
“I remember watching in admiration as she put her make-up on in the mornings and thinking, I want to be just like her when I grow up."
Image by: Shannon Ellis
For many children, the sudden arrival of new siblings after years of undivided attention would cause upset - but not for Shannon.
Sliding with ease into her role as their big sister, she doted on her younger siblings from the very first time she set eyes on them.
“I remember the first time I met Mia and mum said I could give her a kiss,” Shannon said.
“She was sleeping so peacefully and I carefully kissed her tiny face – I was so scared of breaking her, she was perfect.”
As the number of her siblings grew, the Ellis’ became one big happy family.
“We were all really close,” Shannon said.
“We’d have the odd fight as brothers and sisters do, but all-in-all we looked out for each other and mum made sure we were always happy.
“I would help her out where I could - getting my younger brother and sisters ready for school and out the door – mum couldn’t do it all by herself!”
By this time, Shelley was no longer with her partner and the father of the younger children, but the family got on perfectly fine with the help of Shannon.
They enjoyed trips to Headlands Beach or Summer Hill, near their home in Hartlepool, and caring Shelley would make sure the car was packed with everything they would need.
She helped with homework and tucked each one of her six children into bed each night, with more than enough love to spread between them all despite having barely any time for herself.
Keen to start a family of her own, Shannon fell pregnant aged 18 after she and Keiran had been dating for eight months and had two sons - who Shelley doted on.
"I remember taking the pregnancy test at home first thing in the morning before work,” Shannon said.
“I ran screaming and shouting into mum’s room, jumping on her bed and telling her she was going to be a grandma.
“Mum knew before Kieran did – that’s how close we were!
“She was over the moon and although I was nervous about being a young mum, I knew I could do it if I just followed the amazing example my mum had set.”
Harrison, three, was born in May 2015, followed by another grandson for Shelley, Rowan, two, in January 2017.
Shannon and Kieran moved just around the corner after the birth of their two boys to give the family some more space – but that didn’t mean they weren’t together all the time.
Shannon said: "Mum was an amazing grandmother - she absolutely adored the boys.
“Not a day went by where I wouldn’t see my mum.
“She helped look after the boys if we were busy and taught me the tricks of the trade.
“She was besotted with her grandchildren, the same look I’d seen when my siblings were born all those years earlier, and I was so happy to have her help throughout their early years.
"I always thought she'd be there for me to give me guidance and to watch her children and grandchildren grow up."
But the family's lives were turned upside down after Shelley was taken unexpectedly ill in January 2018 - and told she had just days to live.
Shelley was rushed to the University Hospital of North Tees, Hartlepool, where medics discovered she had a rare disease.
Shannon was told by medical staff that her mum Shelley would never be the same, and had a maximum of two years to live.
“I’ll never forget hearing those words,” Shannon said.
“I couldn’t contemplate losing her but the doctors assured that would be the case.”
When Shelley heard she didn’t have long left, she became unbelievably worried about what would happen to her children left behind.
“It was horrible seeing the worry in her face, she loved us all so much,” Shannon said.
“But I promised her that the kids would never be alone and that I would step up to look after them.”
Shelley’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and just two days later they were told the end was imminent.
Shelley was moved to Alice House Hospice, Hartlepool, to make her final days more comfortable, and the family gathered around to make their heart-breaking goodbyes.
“I can’t thank the staff there enough, they were brilliant to poor mum,” Shannon said.
“They were so lovely and understanding and made sure she had everything she could have needed until the time came.”
Image by: Shannon Ellis
On January 25, 2018, Shelley sadly passed away aged 39 - just nine days after she first started to feel unwell.
Shannon was there when she passed, and curled up on the bed next to her beloved mum until she knew the time had come to tell the rest of the family.
“There’s nothing to describe her death other than a feeling of emptiness,” Shannon said.
“My best friend, my biggest support and my incredible mum had been taken from our lives and I felt so empty.
“But I had to be there for the kids, and we sat together sobbing for what seemed like hours.”
Having gone from speaking to her mum every single day, Shannon was left lost without her.
But she found strength in her siblings and the unity of their family.
Shannon - who was the eldest of her siblings - knew she had to keep her final promise to her beloved mum and stepped up to become the legal guardian for her five siblings.
She said: "Losing mum was horrendous - it came so out of the blue. It hit us all so hard.
"One minute she was there and seemed fit and healthy and the next we were told she had days left to live.
"When she passed away, it didn't hit me straight away. I just felt numb.
"But the one thing that kept me going was my brother and sisters and my own boys. I knew I had to get up each day to be there for them and to look after them.
“I couldn’t have done it all without Kieran – he had no experience of looking after girls, let alone teenagers. But he took my siblings under his wing and was a pillar of strength for all of us.
“Mum was always a brilliant judge of character and she adored him, so I’m glad she will have known that he will always look after us.
“I can’t believe how strong my brother and sisters have been.
“To be so young and suffer such a devastating loss is heartbreaking, but to still act as maturely as they have is amazing.
“They are coping really well and I’m really proud.
“We talk about mum all the time and constantly get photos out and laugh about the joy she brought to our family.”
The family all moved in together after the death of their mum, and Shannon and Kieran have taken them on as their own – just as Shelley had wanted.
From being a mum-of-two to a mum-of-seven overnight, Shannon says she has learnt a lot over the past year and says it gets easier every day.
“It has been hard but it’s given me more of a reason to get up and get on with every day normal life. Their strength has given me the strength to carry on,” Shannon said.
“I think she’d be smiling down at us, proud of how we’re doing.
“She will always be the head of this family, and I am trying every day to follow the incredible example of motherhood she set.”
DON'T LOOK DOWN, BOY! - Meet Britain’s paragliding DOG that takes to the skies with his owners
Video by: Joe McCarthy 
Image by: Joe McCarthy
Meet Britain’s paragliding DOG - that regularly takes to the skies with its owners.
Henry the three-year-old cockapoo has flown more than 20 times over the hills of west Wales - and even in the Alps.
Owners Amy Jones, 38, partner Joe McCarthy, and Amy's dad Rob, 67, leap off mountains and hills with the dog strapped on their laps.
Weather conditions must perfect to paraglide - and Henry flew this weekend as it was dry with low winds.
Video footage shows Henry looking relaxed as he flies with Rob, 67, over hills near his home in Tywyn, west Wales.
The pooch also enjoyed a bird’s eye view of his favourite beach on Boxing Day as he swept along the Dyfi Estuary.
He started high on the hills above Aberdyfi before paragliding down to the seafront - enjoying panoramic views across the stunning landscape.
He hops up onto the pilot's knee and is “ready to go as soon as he gets his harness on”.
Image by: Joe McCarthy
Image by: Joe McCarthy
Amy, who runs a roofing firm with dad Rob, said: “Henry is hilarious - his expressions are very funny because he is always so happy.
“We go over to the Alps every year in a VW campervan and Henry comes with us and flies.
“As soon as he gets his harness on to paraglide you can tell he wants to go - as soon as it is on he’s ready.
“But Joe and I are very active and he does everything with us.
“We take him to Lake Annecy where he flies, swims and cycles in the trailer - it’s great.
“Passersby expect it to be a kid in the back but then they see his little head. People think we are bonkers but it’s so funny.”
The little dog also paddleboards with Amy, travels in a trailer with her on long bike rides and enjoys long walks up Cadair Idris mountain in the snow.
Henry’s love for the outdoors is a trait mirrored by Amy and Joe who met three years ago when he was a puppy.
He often flies with Amy’s dad, Rob, who has over 30 years of paragliding experience and was one of the sport's pioneers.
Amy says playful Henry is small and will often disappear into the snow during walks on Cadair Idris. She added that Henry has flown “20 to 30 times” in total.
Partner Joe, a commercial photographer and videographer, described Henry as “so calm” as he flies.
Henry spends his time at home in Bryncrug, Gwynned, Wales napping and eating so he is ready to go outdoors.
Joe, who met Amy in a paragliding class, added: “Cockapoos are really lovely natured, gentle and caring dogs.
“He doesn’t shed so is a brilliant house dog but loves to go out. When I’m working he will nap, then he eats and is ready to go out again.”
Image by: Joe McCarthy
A woman describes horrific story after her hand was bitten off by rescue dog
Video by: Tom Maddick SWNS 
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
A woman yesterday told how she had her hand bitten off by a huge rescue dog which savaged her in attack which 'seemed to last for hours.'
Sue Scarlett, 64, was savaged by the 90kg - 14 stone - cross-bred beast while cleaning its kennel and looked down to the ground see her 'right hand on the floor.'
The care home nurse was set up by the dog last October when the animal locked its teeth around her right arm.
Despite two people trying to get the dog off her hand, the male dog gripped on to her wrist with his teeth and wouldn't let go.
The grandmother, who described the dog having a grey and black brindle coat with paws the size of her hand, said: "I shouted to him to let go but he just held on tighter.
"After what seemed like hours my husband heard me and tried to pull the dog away but was unable to do so.
"I remember thinking that I would have a few broken bones when he finished.
"But at that time I looked down and saw my right hand lying on the concrete in a pool of blood."
The kennels which had a run outside where caged - the dogs slept in the kennels and were able to have water in the run before running outside into a surrounding field to play.
As Sue let the dog out of the kennels to go into the field to clean the room and change the water in the run.
But the dog put his head partially into the run of out of the kennel and grabbed her right arm.
Sue, who is a nurse at Ashlynn Grange care home, in Peterborough, Cambs., shouted at the dog to let go but he continued to "gnaw" at her arm.
She said she had to go on her knees to push the kennel gate against him because she "knew that if he got into the kennel he would kill" her.
Sue screamed for her husband, who was also helping to look after the other dogs, to call for an ambulance and police as her friend tried to get the dog off her arm.
After a couple of minutes, the dog eventually let go in which they were able to isolate him back into the kennel.
She added: "As I looked up I saw him looking at me and there was blood all round his mouth.
"As a nurse I knew that I was in big trouble so told my husband that he needed to put a tourniquet - compressing device - above the wound, which he did using his jacket.
"My friend and my husband held my arm in the air to try and prevent more blood loss and continued to do so until a paramedic took over."
The East Anglian Air Ambulance arrived at the scene a long with two doctors, a paramedic and police.
Sue said: "I don't remember much else about the journey or going into the hospital or the emergency surgery which was needed to save my life.
"But what I know is that without a shadow of a doubt is that without the swift action and interventions of the East Anglian Air Ambulance crew I would not be here today.
"I might have lost part of my arm but I am alive and will always be grateful to the crew".
The dog was put down after the attack.
Since the attack Sue as thanked East Anglian Air Ambulance service after their life saving efforts.
An East Anglian Air Ambulance spokesperson said: "The Anglia Two team of Doctor Pam Chrispin, Doctor Antonia Hazlerigg, CCP Mark Milsom and Pilots Rosh Jaypalan and Martin Polding were tasked at 12:24 and arrived on scene in Wisbech at 12:46.
"The clinical team provided IV Access and haemorrhage control, dressing and splintage to Sue’s arm.
"They administered pain relief and antibiotics at scene before packaging Sue and flying her to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, arriving at 13:39."
Sue is now volunteering to help raise funds "that are needed to keep these heroes and horoines in the air" for East Anglian Air Ambulance, which is not government funded.
She will be taking part in the Big Leeap, the tandem skydiving event in May.
Sue was forced to give up for the last six months while recovering from her injuries.
Hilarious moment a three-year-old girl gave her baby brother a TOWIE-style makeover with cosmetics - to 'look just like you mummy'
Video by: Catherine Carr 
Image by: Catherine Carr
A three-year-old gave her baby brother this hilarious TOWIE-style makeover with cosmetics - to 'look just like you mummy'.
Mum Catherine Carr, 24, thought she'd grab a quiet moment to sort some washing and left daughter Tiffany downstairs watching TV with snoozing sibling Frankie.
But Tiffany then decided to use her mum's make-up to paint her bro's face - leaving him a deep brown colour.
The younger used a brush to cover him with bronzer, gave him red lips with lipstick and drew on eyebrows with eyebrow pencil.
Her mother came down to find Frankie fully made-up - and was even more gutted when Tiffany explained she wanted him 'to look like you mummy'.
Catherine, of Harrogate, Yorkshire, said: “I left him fast asleep and she was sat quietly watching her tablet.
“It was all so nicely peaceful until Tiff shouted 'mummy come downstairs – I made Frankie look like you'.
“She'd basically piled as much as bronzer onto his face as possible and covered him in highlighter cream.
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
“She'd also put my lipstick on him and done quite a good job drawing on his eyebrows with my eyebrow pencil.
“She seemed to think he looked exactly like me – I couldn't see it to be honest.”
But far from getting a telling-off, Tiffany's make-up job had her mum in stitches.
“I was mortified, but I couldn't tell her off – it was just too funny,” Catherine explained.
“Some would have told her off, but she's always doing hilarious things like this, she's a little legend.”
And she said Frankie seemed perfectly happy with his makeover as well.
She said: “He loved his new look. He was fast asleep when I left him but I came downstairs and he was sat on the floor smiling his head off.
“He looked like a doll, she'd put that much make-up on him.”
Catherine shared snaps of Frankie and his sister on a Facebook parenting group, with thousands of mums and dads liking it in just hours.
She wrote: “I don't know what's worse, the fact she she thinks I look like that or the fact that she's done his eyebrows quite good.”
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Shocking footage shows brainless driver stopping on motorway while young boy has a wee
Image by: Video Contributor 8
Police are hunting a brainless BMW driver who was caught on dashcam stopping on a busy motorway – to let his child out for a WEE.
The motorist parked with his hazard lights flashing on the southbound carriageway of the M1 just yards away from an exit for a services.
Dashcam shows a little boy in a white shirt and grey trousers crouching down to relief himself before getting back into the silver car.
The shocked driver captured the motorist’s insane actions last Friday (29/3) at 5pm during busy rush-hour traffic near Northampton.
The driver, who did not want to be named but posted the footage online, said: "I was heading home from work at around 5pm on the M1.
"I was in lane one which is the turn off for junction 16.
"There was a lorry in front of me but then it moved into the second lane.
"I could see that there was a car in front but the sun was low so I couldn't see his hazard lights which were on.
"I had to stop in a live lane of the motorway behind this mindless idiot.
"I saw a young a lad, about six or seven crouching down and having a wee on the carriageway.
"It was crazy, I've never seen anything like that before.
"I was pressing my horn to tell him to get out of the way.
"What I saw was beyond belief and it could have easily resulted in a serious injury or
even death.
"I was afraid the cars behind me wouldn't be able to stop in time.
"I was fearful of someone going into the back of my car, which would have sent me into his.
"Maybe the driver thought it was a hard shoulder but it's clear from the signs above it wasn't and there were loads of cars driving along it.
"After the kid was done he just got back into the car and they drove off.
"I pulled up next to him and told him off but all I got in return was two fingers, which was charming.
"He didn't even recognize that he had done wrong.
"I was there for less than a minute but that's all it takes for to have been an accident.
"I just want to put this out there so it shows people just how dangerous it.
"We were literally 30 seconds from the next exit, which is what makes this all more ridiculous.
"There was no excuse for him to stop there. can be to stop on the motorway without good reason."
Northamptonshire Police are investigating and have appealed for the BMW driver to come forward.
Video by: Video Contributor 8
Barbie loving woman colours all her belongings PINK – including her house, car and caravan
Video by: Ashley Moran 
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Wacky Sally Owen has brightened up her life by colouring all her possessions - including her house, car and even pots and pans - bright PINK.
The 48-year-old's modest village home is now a tourist hotspot after having the garish makeover.
She loves the colour so much, every one of her belongings is pink, including her car, caravan, hair, and even her cups and saucers.
Her obsession even extends to her meals, with her favourite food being prawn cocktail washed down with rose wine.
The mum-of-one, nicknamed "Pinky", is a well known figure in her home village of Linton, Derbys.
Her partner, bus driver Jason Dodds, 51, has embraced her love of everything pink and even gave her a brightly coloured Mazda MX5 at Christmas.
Sally, who runs a pet auction, said: "You've got to put a bit of colour in your life and mine is just pink.
"I always wear pink. Everything's pink.
"It's just my favourite colour.
"I've got a vintage caravan that's pink, it's all pink inside.
"There's nothing wrong with it.
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
"We had been living in our house for five years when one day I thought it needed a change to brighten it up.
“All the houses around here are a bit samey and I was determined that ours would stand out.
“I bought a dark shade of pink masonry paint from B&Q and slapped it on the walls.
“It came out much brighter and colourful than I’d even hoped for. It’s a good job the neighbours are good friends.
"I just love the colour, I have always liked it. I thought why not? My partner doesn't mind.
"Jason did get a bit of stick at work at first but they are used to it now. He wears pink as well sometimes.
"I am having some hanging baskets made and I have specified that they need to be big and pink.
"It does get a lot of smiles.
"The house brightens the area up a bit and I don't think there is a problem.
"It does get a lot of reaction, especially from children, and people park across the road so they can have their photo take with it – I never expected my obsession to turn my house into a tourist spot.
"They used to knock to ask first but I don't mind.
"If it makes them happy then I am happy with that.
"The front room is pink. I have unicorn pink kitchen and a pink garden, bedroom and caravan.”
Jason said: “I think it’s great. I don’t mind living in a pink Barbie universe. If it makes Sally happy then I’m happy.
“I sometimes get odd looks when I drive her car into town but I think it’s funny.”
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Terrified family call in pest controllers after their house is taken over by a swarm of 22,000 BEES 🐝
Video by: David Bird 
Image by: David Bird
Amazing footage shows a pest controller using a HOOVER to remove a huge colony of 22,000 bees which plagued a family's home for ten years.
The swarming insects had built a hive behind the plaster above the dormer window of a loft conversion.
The family spent years trying to remove the bees from their three-storey home in the Eastern Green area of Coventry but to no avail.
Bee experts told them the hive was too delicate to remove safely and numerous pest controllers simply refused the job because it was too dangerous.
In desperation, the family boarded up the room and left the attic to the bees until one pest controller came up with an innovative way of removing them safely – using a vacuum cleaner.
Image by: David Bird
David Bird, who owns Delta Pest Control in Coventry, spent several hours hoovering up the bees before transferring them to a sealed container.
They were then transported to an apiary where they will be used to produce honey.
Mr Bird said: “The homeowners have had an outstanding problem with a number of years.
“They were told by a number of pest controllers that it was impossible to remove.
“We opened it up to remove these bees.
“It's an exceptionally large colony for this time of year. We think there are around 22,000.
“We found somewhere nice, warm and safe for them.
“Bees make their way into little voids in people's homes due to the mild weather.
“A Queen bee would have swarmed there with a few other bees.
“The swarm would have originally been the size of a basketball.
“They stay pretty well enclosed in one place.
“This was a dormer window on a third floor bedroom, a spare room.
“The homeowners weren't in any danger.
Image by: David Bird
Image by: David Bird
“We had to take away the plaster to gain access to them.
“The temperament of these bees is quite calm and relaxed.
“Bees keep themselves to themselves – they don't go on attack mode easily.
“We used a normal vacuum and then transfer them to a bee transport box.
“They are jam packed in there – it's about 40cm by 20cm by 2cm.
“We will take them to an apiary in the north of England. We are still still talking to the bee keeper so can't say which one yet.
“Once the beekeeper has found they are comfortable, he will put them to work in a good hive.
“The beekeeper will get honey out of it.
“They haven't got a very good chance of surviving if they are in the wild.
“You can't just put them in the woods and hope for the best.”
Brave six-year-old saves baby brother’s life by choosing to become his bone marrow donor
Image by: Kelsey Stynes
A six-year-old girl and her baby brother are closer than ever after she bravely saved his life -- by becoming his bone marrow donor.
Caleb Ashby needed an urgent bone marrow transplant after a shortage of infection-fighting blood cells left him in danger of being killed by a common cold.
Big sister Sophia was an 100% match and bravely demanded her worried parents to let her be a donor by declaring: "If I give Caleb my bones he will live”.
The schoolgirl had her bone marrow extracted from her hip, before it was donated to poorly Caleb, just a few beds away.
Parents Kelsey Stynes, 28, and Lee Ashby, 31, had to wait for two weeks to find out Caleb’s body had 100% accepted his sister’s bone marrow.
Four weeks on, the four-month-old is set to make a full recovery, but protective Sophia - who has a stronger bond than ever with her little brother - has refused to leave his side.
She's recovered from her op, but is attending the hospital school after being given special permission to keep a close eye on him until he goes home in six to eight weeks.
Beautician Kelsey, from Barwell, Leicestershire, said: "It makes me so emotional just thinking about it.
"I am completely overwhelmed by it all. She just amazes me. She has been fantastic for the whole way through this.
“She hasn’t stopped smiling and she knows she has done a good thing but I’m not sure if she knows how amazing she is.
“If she didn’t want to go ahead with it then we wouldn’t have Caleb here with us now.
“She saved Caleb’s life. She has done an amazing job and without her we wouldn’t have reached where we are now.”
Mum-of-four Kelsey, who has two other sons, Zachary, one, and Tyler, eight, found out Caleb was going to be born with a heart defect when she was 22 weeks pregnant.
He had truncus arteriosus - only one large blood vessel leading from his heart instead of two - and a hole in his heart, when he was born in December last year.
Image by: Kelsey Stynes
Image by: Kelsey Stynes
At just two-weeks-old Caleb underwent a major eight-hour operation, in January, to insert a plastic stent into his heart to do the job of the blood vessel he was born without.
Caleb spent five days in intensive care and doctors soon realised the newborn’s wound was not healing.
Further tests revealed he had “no white bloods at all” meaning he was at serious risk of infection.
Doctors warned he could be killed by a common cold and his body was too weak to properly recover from the heart surgery.
They discovered he had bone marrow failure - when the soft centre of the bones fails to produce enough healthy blood cells to keep up with the body’s needs.
Kelsey says doctors said if they had known about Caleb’s blood condition, they wouldn't have performed the heart surgery.
The family were told the only option to save his life was a bone marrow transplant, to give him a new immune system.
Kelsey said: “It was very touch and go at that point. We thought we had been through the worst after his operation.
“That was a very scary time for us. We had to trust the surgeons with our baby.
“I was so relieved it all went to plan. I just fell to the ground.”
Kelsey, Lee, Sophia and Zachery were tested as potential matches, on February 18.
Zachery was ruled out but doctors knew even before the results came back that, as Caleb's parents, Kelsey and Lee's bone marrow would at least be a 50% match.
Because of the urgency and severity of Caleb’s condition, doctors had prepared a blood transfusion using Lee’s partial match before the results came back on February 27.
Image by: Kelsey Stynes
Image by: Kelsey Stynes
A partial match transfusion would have a lesser chance of success and would require Lee's bloods to be manipulated in a lab prior to the op.
The major risk would be that the transfusion would fail and Caleb's body would reject his dad's bone marrow - placing his life on the line once again.
But on the same day Lee was preparing to undergo the transfusion, tests revealed Sophia was an 100% match - handing her baby brother a vital lifeline.
Kelsey said: “I had mixed emotions. Sophia was so willing but I didn’t want to put Sophia through it if she didn’t want to.
“But she said 'I want to help'. She said ‘if I give Caleb my bone he will live’."
Doctors had already spoken to Sophia about what the test results could mean for her if her bone marrow ended up being a full match.
Kelsey says her daughter "smiled and was happy" when the family found out her bone marrow was a 100% match.
Sophia was put through a series of psychological assessments before being cleared to be her brother’s donor.
She had the option to opt out - but courageously stuck to her word and went ahead with the blood marrow donation on March 5.
During her procedure, Sophia was put under general anaesthetic before stem cells were removed from the bone marrow in her hip bone, ready to transfuse into her baby brother.
Then, having endured a week of chemotherapy to prepare his blood for a transfusion, Caleb underwent his second life saving operation on March 6.
If he didn't have the life-saving op - Kelsey says her baby "probably wouldn't be here today".
She says Caleb couldn't have sustained life with bone marrow failure and he would have been given end-of-life care if all other options had failed.
Thankfully the operation was successful, but Kelsey and Lee faced an anxious two week wait to find out if Caleb’s body had fully accepted his sister’s bone marrow donation.
During that period Caleb was kept under constant supervision in an isolation unit where he could only see his mum and doctors.
To keep the area sterile, Kelsey would have to change her shoes and swap her outside clothes for inside clothes to cut the risk of carrying germs from the outdoors inside.
But to Kelsey’s overwhelming relief, Caleb was given the all clear and doctors described the transfusion and a “textbook” procedure.
Kelsey said: “They were very happy with how it went. That two week wait was really difficult. We became obsessed with the numbers.
“I doubted it every second of every day. We just wanted to know if it had worked or not.
“He’s recovering well and it’s all about the numbers now. We can’t leave hospital until his blood is stable.
“He will have to be kept a very close eye on for the rest of his life and will be in and out of hospital for check ups for the next year.”
Caleb and Kelsey are still in hospital and expect to be there for another eight weeks.
Caleb is yet to set foot in the family home and is still being monitored around the clock in hospital.
Meanwhile his mum and sister are living at the nearby Ronald McDonald House, which provides a free ‘home away from home’ accommodation.
Sophia has also opted to stay by her brother’s side and is attending the hospital school while he fully recovers.
She recovered from her 50 minute procedure within 24 hours but was kept away from her brother during her recovery.
Kelsey says it was "hell" having two poorly children and says it was tough for her to put Sophia through her operation in order to save Caleb.
She said: "It was such a hard thing to do, as a mum. I spent all day worrying about them both.
"I didn't know what to do with myself and ended up just waiting by the recovery bay for Sophia to come out."
The family hope to be reunited at home within two months, and Kelsey says she is dreaming of booking a big family holiday to celebrate Caleb’s miraculous journey.
Kelsey said: "They adore each other. Sophia is amazing with him and they are the best of friends.
"They are closer than ever now. Sophia knows she has done an amazing thing."
Shocking footage shows brainless driver going the wrong way on the M1
Video by: Mark Thomas 
Image by: Mark Thomas
Shocking footage shows a brainless driver risking lives by going the wrong way on the M1 – before trying to correct his error by reversing up the fast lane.
The elderly motorist turned right and crossed three lanes of the busy motorway before driving towards oncoming traffic.
When the male driver realised his mistake he tried to reverse back along the fast lane before pulling forward again.
The driver eventually manages to reverse back up the road before driving the wrong way down the sliproad.
The video shows the hapless motorist join the southbound carriageway of the M1 at Milton Keynes, Bucks., at 1pm on Monday (1/4).
Lorry driver Mark Thomas, 54, captured the terrifying moment on his dashcam as he drove from Tilbury Docks in Essex.
The divorced dad-of-one, of Shrewsbury, Shrops., said: “I was really shaken up by it, he could have killed someone, I couldn’t believe it.
“I was driving in the middle lane and noticed in the distance was not quite right.
“I was doing around 60mph when I saw the car coming up on the fast lane, and slowed down to 40mph in an instant.
“I just slowed right down and put on the hazard warning lights.
“I could see a young bloke in the white van next to me brake hard and he was really straining on the seatbelt.
“The man in the silver car looked like he was 65 to 70 and was very confused.
“He might not have understood the signs. I wondered if he might be a foreigner.
“When he was reversing on the fast lane I was shouting out the window at him to turn around, in fact I went hoarse from shouting.
"He tried reversing back down the carriageway a couple of times until he weaved his way back down the fast lane and goes the wrong way down the slip road.
"It was lucky it was a clear day because if it had been foggy that would have been it. The road was busy with cars and lorries like mine and he could have caused carnange.
“I have been a trucker for 32 years and this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.
“I sent the dashcam to the police and they say someone has already reported it, I don’t know what’s happened to the driver."
Image by: Mark Thomas
Image by: Steve Chatterley
RSPB hit out at local council for netting up a cliff stopping birds from nesting
Video by: Margaret Wilcox 
Image by: Margaret Wilcox
Bird lovers hit out at a council putting up netting on a cliff side preventing sand martins from nesting.
The RSPB say that the netting is risking the lives of the birds as they may get stuck in it.
The RSPB shared a video on Twitter and said the effect of the material, which resembles a football net, was "heart breaking" and said that the council "have not taken out (and their contractor's) original advice."
The netting was put up on the Bacton cliff side, Norfolk, to deter wildlife from nesting during a project to stop erosion.
North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) will move 1.8 million cubic metres of sand from the cliff side and on to the beach.
The council says this will protect Bacton village from flooding for "up to 20 years".
An online petition to stop the nets, has been created to: "Grant legal protection to Swallow, Swift and Martin nest sites not just nests."
The petition has gained over 25,000 signatures to protect locations similar to the Bacton coast.
A spokesperson for the RSPB said: "We are disappointed that North Norfolk District Council have placed netting on the cliffs at Bacton to prevent sand martins from nesting.
We can confirm the Council's actions do not follow RSPB advice, or indeed their own construction plans."
Based on the images we have seen published, our advice has not been followed and we will be reaching out to NNDC to offer further advice and support."
The decision has sparked outrage on social media, with some users sharing videos saying: "These innocent Sand Martins have travelled thousands of miles to revisit our amazing country & to find their nest sites netted up like this is crazy.
"Whoever's ordered this, needs their family home taken from them!"
A North Norfolk District Council spokesman said: “The Bacton/Walcott Coastal Management Scheme (the Bacton Sandscaping Scheme) is a highly complex project.
“It has been designed to protect hundreds of homes in Bacton and Walcott, and the critical infrastructure of Bacton Gas Terminal, for many years to come, and has been five years in the planning.
“It has been subject to full environmental impact assessment, planning permission and marine licence applications.
“We understand that the RSPB have concerns around the temporary netting element of the project and we are intending to meet with them and contractors on site to fully assess what those concerns are."
Image by: James Linsell Clark SWNS
Image by: Margaret Wilcox
North Norfolk District Council have given into pressure and have agreed to remove controversial netting on a cliff side that is preventing birds from accessing their nests.
Following a meeting with the Nature's Voice the Council have announced: "Following positive discussions with the RSPB and Natural England today, we have instructed contractors to remove the upper levels of netting on Bacton cliffs.
"Minimum levels will be retained to assist in progressing with this critical project to protect people’s homes and national infrastructure.
"Following this, ongoing discussions will take place between NNDC and the RSPB about the material to be used on the lower section of cliff to allow this to happen.
"Please also be aware that these cliffs are not safe to climb on. Please don’t attempt to do this. A team of abseiling professionals will carry out the work in the next 24 hours."
The RSPB are unhappy with the result as it doesn't go far enough to protect sand martins and other birds.
A spokesperson said: "The issue and images of the Bacton cliff netting have been very upsetting for all.
"We are pleased to have had a conversation with North Norfolk District Council this afternoon about the situation. During the conversation, the Council committed to removing the netting covering the upper section of the cliffs tomorrow once their abseiling teams are available.
“We will be taking up an invitation from the Council to visit the site as soon as possible this week to discuss our outstanding concerns. This will cover our concerns regarding the 1.3km length of the netted cliff face that will remain.
"We will ask the Council to reduce this to 50m maximum and keep to a height of 7m. We will also be raising the issue of the material currently in use.
"We will be re-outlining our original recommendation of geotextile meshing to ensure that the burrows in the sandscaping zone are not smothered; in addition, by using geotextile it will also ensure no birds can be trapped.
“We will continue to keep everyone updated as the situation develops. Thank you for your concern regarding the sand martins.”
Two separate online petitions in connection have been signed by hundreds of thousands of people.
The petition 'Make 'netting' hedgerows to prevent birds from nesting a criminal offence' has over 260,000 signatures, and was supported by Labour MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Education Angela Rayner.
The other, 'Grant legal protection to Swallow, Swift and Martin nest sites not just nests' has close to 40,000 signatures.
A protest has been organised at Bacton beach, Norfolk at 5pm this evening (8/9), by a private Facebook group in which members have threatened to remove the netting themselves.
The hashtag 'NetsDownForNature' has been trending on Twitter throughout the day.
Image by: James Linsell Clark SWNS
Image by: James Linsell Clark SWNS
