Four years ago little Henry Cooper from Maidstone had to live up to his namesake - battling a 15% chance of survival along with his twin brother Archie when they were born 17 weeks early.

Although tragically his brother didn't overcome the odds, Henry managed to survive with the help of the Oliver Fisher Baby Care Unit at Medway Maritime Hospital, and mum Nicki Cooper hopes his story - along with those of many others - will help inspire families facing similar situations.

A keen amateur turned professional photographer, Nicki has now put together a new book - Faces of Prematurity - showcasing pictures and stories of premature babies which she hopes will help others. And she was set to hand over a copy of the new book to the Oliver Fisher Unit today, World Prematurity Day.

Nicki, who lives in Downswood, explained the project followed on from discussions with staff at the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit who were looking for inspirational photos to put on display, and she said she herself had been buoyed by reading patient stories on the walls of the unit.

"We've been in regular contact with the hospital," she said. "Henry was discharged in February because they do regular check ups, so we've got a good relationship with the hospital and his consultant (Felicity Brokke) said it would be really good to have some nice photos up.

"I had taken a picture of Henry holding his baby picture, and she said it would be amazing to do it as a kind of project. I ran with it and in the early part of this year asked some people if they would like to be included."

Nicki was inundated with people wanting to be included, and found herself equally overwhelmed with their emotional stories.

She added: "The idea was to just do the photos, but once we started, the stories were so inspiring we thought it would be good to read about the children behind the pictures.

"When you're in the unit with a premature baby you don't know what to expect and whether they will have long term issues. It's immensely stressful. When we were there we read stories on the notice board, letters and pictures, and when you see those it gives you hope that things could be OK.

"It helps to know you're not alone and people do get through it, and children aren't always impacted long term. I think offering the help is really important."

Now a happy and healthy four-year-old, Henry is nevertheless well aware of his tough start in life.

"Henry is doing great," added Nicki. "He started school in September and he's not had long term issues. We had parents' evening this week and had good comments from the teacher.

"He loves it. He skips in every morning with a big smile on his face, and he really enjoys it.

"He's very aware of his background story and his journey. He's seen the book and he's seen himself in it. He misses visiting the hospital.

"He also talks about missing his twin brother. He's now got a younger brother, Finlay, who's two years old - he's shown a lot of interest and he's made me sit down and show him the book and the pictures too.

"He loves books now and he's been asking all the children's names, which is quite amazing really."

To find out more about World Prematurity Day, click here.

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