A boy born at just 24 weeks weighing 1il 6oz is thriving today. Now his dad is making a film to prompt wider debate about premature babies. Sarah Dunn reports.

A fortnight before Jack Entwistle's traumatic entry into the world, his parents Alan and Karen had gazed on in wonder as their 22 week old son appeared before them on a 3D ultrasound scanner.

The couple were excited to be told they were expecting a boy, and decided to call him Jack Peter. Karen was blissfully unaware that she was suffering from an infection in the birth canal called streptoccous B which caused her to go into labour at 24 weeks.

She and her son received specialist treatment at Saint Mary's in Manchester, which she believes saved Jack's life. The trauma that Jack, who weighed just 1lb 6oz at birth, and his family endured is now being made into a film written by Alan called 24 Weekers.

Central to the plot is Jack's incredible story – following him from birth when his eyes were fused shut and his ears not properly formed. It also draws on the experience of Angela and John Nicholls from Stockport, whose twins Jasmine and Gemma were also born at 24 weeks at Saint Mary's.

Gemma, who weighed a tiny 497 grams, died after just four days - a tragedy all the more harrowing because the couple had spent 16 years trying for a baby, finally succeeding through IVF.

But today Angela, 44, and John, 46, feel incredibly lucky to have Jasmine, a happy and healthy seven-year-old who is in the top sets at school and loves her computer.

Jack, also now seven, is another adorable child who loves reading, computer games and playing in the park – although the scars of his early struggles remain.

He lost 75 per cent of his sight, while key developments have always been delayed – his family have had to wait for everything from holding him for the first time, seeing him smile and sit up, to walking and speaking in sentences.

“I've had to be very patient,” Karen says. “He is like a jigsaw puzzle – half fits and the other half doesn't.

“But it doesn't matter how long it takes, because he always gets there in the end. He is the most perfect child you could ever wish for.”

Now, in an attempt to open up discussion about premature babies, the film is set to re-live those first five months Jack and Jasmine spent in hospital.

For Jack there were touch and go bouts of septicaemia when feeding lines became infected, as well as an operation on his bowel and a further procedure to save some of his sight. They're all memories which still make Karen feel sick to her stomach as she recalls them.

And not only did Angela and John have to cope with the death of Gemma, but had to watch while Jasmine fought her own battle for survival.

“I'd prepared myself for walking out of that hospital without any babies,” Angela says.

Both families want to spread hope by sharing their experiences. Angela says: “It's important for people to know about these little miracles.”

Karen and Alan also hope to raise awareness of the strep B infection, and contribute to the debate about treatment for extremely premature babies. Current guidelines advise babies born before 22 weeks should not be treated.

The legal limit for an abortion – which currently stands at 24 weeks, although calls have been made to lower it – is another sensitive topic raised by the movie.

Although both women do not want to pass judgement on a woman's right to choose, Karen admits she finds it 'scary' that a pregnancy can be terminated at that stage.

And Angela adds: “At 24 weeks it is a proper baby, and it can grow up to be a beautiful boy or girl.”

Alan, who spent three years writing the script in spare time from his job as a project manager in the banking industry, says he has always wanted to produce the film, adding: “It wasn't a case of if I would make this film, but when.”

He has already produced an emotive trailer which he will take to the Cannes Film Festival this year with hopes of securing investment. He estimates it will cost between £2m and £3m, and already has pledges of a £1/4m.

Although at first Karen resisted getting involved with the film – finding the whole experience too hard to relive – she is now embracing the power of the project.

“People ask if I'm finding it therapeutic,” she says. “The truth is no, it is very painful – but it's a story that needs to be told.”

Visit http://www.24weekers.com/ to find out more.

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