A MUM from Port Glasgow is preparing for a marathon in Australia inspired by her eight-month-old son who was born with only half a working heart.

Elaine McGivern is taking on the 26.2-mile race in the Gold Coast after her baby boy Joshua defied doctors who thought he would live no longer than a week.

The tot was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) which means only one side of the vital organ is fully functional.

Mum Elaine, 36, husband Paul, 37, and daughter Mirrin, six, emigrated to Queensland four years ago but their dream new life in Australia was turned upside down when Elaine was told her unborn son had the condition at 21 weeks pregnant.

The couple were given the option to terminate the pregnancy, arrange palliative care for the baby for the few days he was expected to survive or opt for three open-heart surgeries with a low success rate.

They chose to give their son a fighting chance of survival and now Joshua, who has had two of the procedures, continues to stun medics and his family.

Elaine said: "I am completely in awe of Joshua and all that he has been through and goes through each day."

The physiotherapist and her social worker husband found out in 2017 that their baby would be born with HLHS.

It is a rare condition combining a number of cardiac defects meaning the left side of the heart and surrounding structures are so under-developed that they cannot function.

Joshua had his first procedure at just six days old and it involved his body being cooled to 20C to put it into a state of hibernation. He pulled through despite being given just a 25 per cent chance of survival.

The second operation took place when he was 18 weeks to rebuild parts of the vital organ.

While the youngster faces an uphill battle every day, he is meeting his development milestones and is like any other eight-month-old baby.

Elaine said: "His future, and how much of it he has in front of him, is very much unknown at this stage. "What we do know is that everyday with him is a blessing and we will be eternally grateful for each of them."

His mum is now raising money for charity Heartkids to help others affected by such complex heart conditions and to fund research in the hope of one day finding a cure.

Elaine said: "Joshua spent the first 19 weeks of life fighting hard at Queensland Children's Hospital and it was during this time that we were introduced to Heartkids.

"As a way of acknowledging and honouring his strength, courage and fighting spirit, I have decided to run the Gold Coast Marathon in July in the hope of raising some much needed funds for Heartkids."

To donate to Elaine's sponsorship fund, visit www.give.everydayhero.com/au/team-joshua-2