LITTLE Timmy Twine has had a tough start in life.

Taken into care at just three days old, he lived in care until he was two.

It seemed he had had his happy ending when he was adopted by a loving family in summer 2014.

But following months of being unwell, he was diagnosed with leukaemia in February.

"At the time we felt quite angry that he had already had an awful start in life and been through so much, and now he was facing this," says his adoptive mother Nicola Twine.

"It didn't seem fair.

"But now I look at him and I think he's here with us for a reason. If he hadn't been placed with us, maybe he wouldn't have had the strength to fight this on his own."

Luckily for Timmy, his new family is used to having to pull together and be strong.

After suffering from four miscarriages while attempting to conceive their first child, Nicola and her husband Robert, from Eastleigh, were advised to stop trying to have a baby until Nicola had lost weight.

Determined to have a child, she had a gastric bypass in June 2006.

She went on to lose 13 stone and gave birth to Maisie-Jane in September 2007.

The couple thought they would be able to have another child with ease but after a further five miscarriages, they decided that adoption would be the best option for them to complete their family.

It was a long process and they felt like giving up a number of times.

But in December 2013 they were matched with Timmy.

He was just 18 months old.

"We saw a picture of him and fell in love with him," says Nicola, 43.

"It was love at first sight. Unfortunately there were more delays, and it took another six months before we could get our hands on him."

In the meantime, their daughter, now eight, had be diagnosed with high-functioning autism.

They knew she would find it particularly difficult to adjust to Timmy's arrival, and the family had a tough time on their hands.

"Timmy bonded really well with us but my daughter had some real issues," says Nicola, 43.

"We had to do an awful lot of work with her. It was expected but you can never really prepare enough.

"There was never any question of us not keeping him," she adds.

"We had to make her understand that Timmy is for life and we had to work through it.

"We'd done a lot of reading about the benefits of siblings to autistic children and how the bond can grow. We knew it wasn't going to happen overnight but that we would see some real benefits and we are at that point now.

"Now the bond has developed and she adores him."

Timmy started to become ill in October last year with various illnesses and infections, including chicken pox, bronchiolitis and flu.

"It was when he started pre-school and everyone put it down to that but I felt there was something else going on," says Nicola.

She noticed that his shape had changed - his stomach was bloated and his legs looked skinny.

Then one day in February this year his face became very swollen and he had a high temperature. She took him to a walk in clinic and he was transferred to Southampton General Hospital.

At 1.15am that night he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

"It was an absolute shock," says Nicola.

"I never had any idea it could be anything other than underlying infections or perhaps an immune problem - maybe he was just one of those children who picks up bugs.

"Never in a million years did we think he would be diagnosed with leukaemia. It was absolutely heartbreaking."

Timmy was given a strong course of antibiotics before being started on an aggressive course of chemotherapy in February.

He has to go to hospital two or three times a week and is also admitted if he picks up an infection.

His care is shared between Southampton General Hospital and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

At first Timmy found hospital very distressing but thanks to the care and patience of the doctors and nurses at both hospitals, now he is quite happy to go in.

"He had a lot of separation anxiety and at first he wouldn't get out of his buggy and had to be treated in it," says Nicola.

"He thought we would leave him but that he would be OK if he stayed in the buggy.

"We've now got to the point where he will help them take his blood pressure and hold the stethoscope.

"He's an absolute hero. What they throw at him, I think most adults would curl up and die."

Nicola says the family has adjusted to their new way of life. They only make very short term plans, as Timmy can catch an infection and have to be admitted to hospital at any time. But they work hard to make their home a happy and loving one for both their children, and have family days out whenever they can.

"This is routine now - it's a way of life," says Nicola.

"At first it was absolute chaos because all of a sudden we were spending days in hospital and we also had a daughter who needed us at home.

"We had an idea in our heads - you get married, have the children, the house, the car - the perfect lifestyle. But it's nothing like we thought it would be.

"We call ourselves Team Twine. We've always worked as a team and you have to learn to get on with it.

"We never want Timmy to see us upset or worried because he has to get his strength from us.

"It makes me feel sick when I think what could have happened to him if he hadn't come to us."

The family hope Timmy will be able to go onto maintenance drugs at the end of the year, which will mean fewer visits to hospital and more of a normal family life.

"I know Timmy will have a lot of difficult questions about his adoption later on and I hope that when we explain to him that he was adopted, that he will also understand that while he was ill, Mummy and Danny never left his side.

"He felt like he was mine before he had even arrived - it just took one look at the picture of him.

"It was like when I was carrying my daughter - I was in love with her before she arrived and it was the same with him.

"If they had told us he had leukaemia, it wouldn't have changed anything, because I loved him from the moment I saw him.

"He completed our family immediately.

"The only thing I want in life now is for Timmy to be happy and well, and for us to be able to give him the really good life that he deserves."

Nicola is fundraising for the Northbrook Children's Ward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

Team Twine will be walking 26 miles along the Test Way on Sunday. They hope to raise £4,000 for the ward.

To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/team-twine