A 'MIRACLE' toddler who battled through illness and beat the odds after being born 12 weeks prematurely has inspired a group of fundraisers to unite as 'Joel's Heroes.'

The group, all from Bicester, are taking on a number of events in honour of three-year-old Joel Hodgins, who defied all medical expectations and fought for his life.

The determined youngster from Kingsmere was born at 28-weeks and spent his first six weeks in intensive care at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and the special care baby unit at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

His parents, Vicky and Gary Hodgins, said Joel fought hard to come home just before Christmas 2014 but less than two months later, after several emergency visits to A&E with breathing difficulties, he was back in hospital.

Joel caught bronchiolitis, pneumonia and flu and was in paediatric intensive care for more than three weeks on a life support machine, unable to breath for himself.

Mrs Hodgins said: "The spirited, happy, ferociously determined boy that is Joel was not supposed to be here.

"He is our miracle, our Joel."

Joel's premature birth caused chronic lung disease and the viruses he had caught were impossible for him to fight on his own.

He still requires extra medical care but is described by his parents as a ‘full of life little boy who doesn’t let it get in his way’.

The family of five, including Joel's older brothers Joshua and George have been left in awe of his fight for life, and so Joel's Heroes was born.

Mrs Hodgins said: "Joel’s premature birth has given us a perspective we wished we never had, but one which has given us the strength and courage to never give up, to be thankful for every single day and to fight as hard as we can for all of the babies like Joel and those that never made it.

"We know he is a fighter, a smiler and a fearless little gymnast, but he is more than that, he is an inspiration."

The fundraising group hope to raise £5,000 for charity Tommy's, which funds research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage, plus support for parents-to-be.

So far they have raised £1,114 for the cause.

As part of the fundraising, Mrs Hodgins will take on the London Marathon with friends Cath Naidu and Ross Downes on Sunday, April 22.

Mrs Hodgins will be joined by her husband Mr Hodgins to take on the 100 mile Ride London cycling event on July 29.

Alongside the sporting events, the heroes will be hosting a charity ball on April 28 from 6.30pm at Whitelands Farm in Bicester.

Tickets are £40 and includes an evening of dance, music and raffle prizes.

To donate see uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?pageId=847908 or for more information on other events search for Joel's Heroes on Facebook.

You can also donate by texting jhro51 and the amount to 70070