A FAMILY have vowed to raise awareness of an incurable condition which killed their 11-day-old baby.

Danielle Steerment, of Chapel Road, Tiptree, gave birth to Harvey Howe 29 weeks into her pregnancy.

Initially Harvey appeared to be healthy, but sudden complications caused him to die of a condition called necrotizing entercolitis, which causes bowel tissue to die.

Ms Steerment, 29, said she and her partner Lee Howe, 19, had initially seen Harvey improve after coming out of intensive care at St John’s Hospital in Chelmsford.

They took him home but were called back to hospital within fives minutes of arriving.

Ms Steerment said: “By the time we had got there, every machine going seemed to be attached to him. It was very scary.

“They had done scans of his stomach and said that it did not look good.

“They told us to prepare for the worst. At that stage we were all over the place.

“We had to wait for a team of experts to come from London and they took him to Addenbrookes Hospital.

“The surgeons said they were going to try to take out his intestine and do an operation to take the dead part away.

“They took him down to the theatre and we didn’t see him again for a couple of hours when the doctors said there was too much damage to save him.

“He was our little miracle and he was a fighter.”

Necrotizing entercolitis is believed to affect about one in every 4,000 premature babies. The exact cause is unknown.

The family have set up a memorial fund to try to raise awareness of the condition and give them a focus for their grief.

Ms Steerment has three other children, Alexandra, eight, Clark, five, and Elliott, four, who attend Tiptree Heath Primary School.

The school has agreed to run a number of fundraising events when the new school year begins.

Ms Steerment added: “If it stops this happening to somebody else’s child, it will be worth it.”

l Harvey’s funeral will be held today at 10am at St Peter’s Church, in Goldhanger.

The family have asked that relatives bring flowers but other mourners support his fund.

To donate, visit http://bliss.tributefunds.com and type in Harvey Howe.