It has been a long road for 14 month old Dawson Lundy, after he was born with a rare condition, but the hardy youngster with the beaming smile has had some great news this month.
The tot received the all clear from medics that his lungs have grown sufficiently enough that he no longer needs oxygen tubes 24 hours per day.
And his parents, Carla and Ross, are delighted at the amazing youngster’s courage.
When Dawson was born, he had a hole in the diaphragm, which affects the stomach, livers and kidneys, leaving little room for the lungs to grow.
Ross, who is goalkeeper with Largs Thistle, said: “We got the news that he doesn’t need oxygen and it is brilliant news for all of us.
“Obviously when Dawson came out of hospital, he required extra oxygen 24 hour a day. 
“Carla and I have had to carry around oxygen cannisters wherever he goes, and it has been a bit of a nightmare, with wires everywhere in the house.
“There has been sleep studies carried out, and medics have been monitoring it and seeing how his oxygen levels are, and his lungs have developed.
“Although they have not caught up fully, they have caught up to a degree where he now doesn’t need extra oxygen, and now he never needs it ever again.”
Taking Dawson out to lunch in a cafe for instance has required a lot of preparation, but now, everything is just as normal now for the Lundy family.
“It is great,” said proud father Ross, “and anyone who meets Dawson now knows what he has been through, and it must be such a great relief for him.
“He always smiles every day. The doctors are delighted and that is really good.”
Dawson was born last summer but was immediately placed in intensive care and received
round the-clock attention, and the courageous young fighter has shown great progress over the past year.