A MUM has thanked doctors for their help and support after her three-year-old son was treated in hospital for a potentially life-threatening episode.

Leyton Wright, who suffers from the muscle-wasting condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), was taken to Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital when he came down with a bad cough and cold.

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But when he arrived with his mum Tammy, doctors discovered he had a collapsed lung and had to be put on oxygen for three weeks.

The Darwen youngster spent two weeks receiving treatment before being transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool for a week.

It was the third time Leyton’s lung had collapsed but Mrs Wright said this was the ‘worst incident yet’.

She said if it hadn’t been for the ‘amazing’ treatment it could have been life-threatening.

She said: “We got to the hospital at about 3pm on the day when Leyton had a bad throat and by 5pm his condition had completely deteriorated.

“Whenever he has had a collapsed lung in the past we were only there a few days so this is by his worst spell yet.

“There were quite a lot of frightening times and he didn’t seem like Leyton at all. He has done absolutely amazing to battle this and I’d like to thank the doctors and nurses because without them this could have been life-threatening.”

Leyton is now having to use a cough assist machine to help him when he gets future illnesses.

SMA is a genetic disease that causes muscle weakness right through the body and progressive loss of movement. It occurs due to deterioration in the nerve cells connecting the brain and spinal cord to the body’s muscles.

Mrs Wright and Leyton’s dad Dominic both carry the gene that causes Type Two SMA but do not suffer from the disease themselves.

Mrs Wright said: “Because of his condition he finds it a lot harder than the normal person to fight infections off.

“SMA weakens all the muscles, including those in your lungs. When you get something as simple as a sore throat it can floor you. I could not be prouder of him for getting through this.” The family is close to their £25,000 fundraising target for a SnapDragonpowered wheelchair for Leyton.

The chair is specifically designed for children with SMA and has a seat which can be lowered to floor level, helping the younger’s mobility.