A TOT who was left fighting for his life in hospital after being struck down by a rare illness was back home with his family this week.
Consultants were stunned at the miraculous recovery of four-year-old Joseph Wilkin, whose illness left him unable to speak.
Joseph, of Higher Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, was released from hospital for the weekend, but when he went to meet his consultant on Monday she could not believe how much he had improved and said he could go home for good.
Overjoyed dad, John, 40, said: "It was a strange feeling when they said he could come home. Of course, we were delighted, but we were also apprehensive because we know Joseph still has a long way to go. His illness has been diagnosed as one in which the immune system attacks the brain.
Mr Wilkin said: "Joseph still has some inflammation of the brain and until that goes down we won't know exactly how long it will take for him to make a full recovery."
Mum Susan, 37, said Joseph's eight-year-old brother, Lewis, is thrilled to have him home and has been very brave.
John, treasurer of Stanhill Village Committee, said: "He is slowly but surely getting back to normal, and his chirpy and cheeky personality is definitely coming back.
"The first thing he wanted when he got home was his favourite meal, a chicken curry.
"Joseph is now virtually mobile and, although his speech is slow, his vocabulary is almost back to normal.
"Hospital staff are hopeful he will fully recover. We are attending a meeting next week to discuss various therapies, when we will find out if Joseph can start at West End Primary School in September. If he can get through this he can achieve anything he wants to."
