A FAMILY who spent three years, four months and 26 days in hospital are celebrating after finally heading home.

Caelan Bluck, from Haydock, has a rare condition called Infantile Pompe disease, which is a genetic muscle weakness caused by the build up of complex sugars.

Most people with the condition do not survive past a few months old.

St Helens Star:

The brave little fighter, who cannot sit up or walk independently and is fed through a peg in his stomach, has spent most of his life at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Despite being declared as stable at the end of 2018, he has had a long journey to finally get to permanently live and be cared for at home with his loving mum Toni.

However, last week he was finally allowed to do just that.

READ: Boy who spent life in hospital is finally at home

While he was in the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, his mum Toni Bluck, 23, had been staying at the nearby Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald House, which also has bases near other children's hospitals across the UK, offers free close by accommodation to the families of seriously ill child patients so they are not far from them.

And they paid tribute to Toni and Caelan after they could finally go home, calling them their 'longest staying family'.

St Helens Star:

In the statement online, Ronald McDonald House Manchester, said: "We recently said a farewell to our longest staying family since we opened our doors in 2012.

"For 1,243 days (three years, four months and 26 days), our house has been home for mum Toni and her friends and family, whilst Caelan has been a long-stay patient at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

"It has been a long journey for them and we are so happy that they are now able to finally be home and together as a family.

"We wish them all the very best."

St Helens Star:

Toni added: "I didn’t realise we were the longest family until I saw the post.

"I just hope no one else has to stay as long as I did. I would never have been able to be with my baby without this place.

"In the near future I would like to repay them it would have cost £31,075 to keep me.

"I’d love to be able to at least sponsor my room."