By Emma Innes PUBLISHED: 12:14 EST, 5 September 2013 | UPDATED: 15:21 EST, 5 September 2013 A little boy who has spent most of his life in hospital is now living at home for the first time. This week, 18-month-old James French left Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, for his family home, thanks to a portable ventilator and the hard work of medical staff at three hospitals. James was born five weeks before his due date. He survived his premature birth only for medics to discover he had a condition which meant his ribs were suffocating him. James French (pictured with his mother, Lorraine Lowry), 18-months, has just been discharged from Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool where he has spent his whole life
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James French was born five weeks early at Countess of Chester Hospital
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He struggles to breathe because his lungs are crushed by his heart
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He was transferred to Liverpool Women's Hospital and then Alder Hey
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He spent 18-months at Alder Hey Children's Hospital where he was diagnosed as having life-limiting chest and vertebrae anomalies
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He has now gone home with a portable ventilator to help him breathe
It took six months for @placeholder to put together a care package, which involved training up six staff to handle James’ equipment, to allow the little boy to go home.