A LITTLE girl who was so ill when she was born doctors warned she wouldn't reach her first birthday has celebrated turning four.

Audrey Frantzich has a rare genetic condition which affects almost everything she does, but despite her daily battles she is a smiley, giggly and happy tot.

For parents Louise and Herman Frantzich every birthday Audrey marks is especially significant given her early diagnosis.

"We appreciate her every day and we're ready for, and planning for, the future. We're planning for school in September as well and that's another day we thought we'd not see," said Mrs Frantzich.

"She's a good girl, she has a lot of problems, but we really appreciate her. She doesn't talk with words, but she likes being around people and she's a joy to be around."

Audrey has Trisomy 9 Mosaic (T9M), which is caused by having a partial third copy of a chromosome.

Her development is delayed, she has spinal problems, is hooked up to an oxygen supply, has two hearing aids and a cleft palate.

In February Audrey had surgery to release her tethered spinal cord at Leeds General Infirmary - her fourth stint on the operating table.

"She's been a lot happier since that was done. She's started sitting up a bit, but it's quite a long road for her still," Mrs Frantzich said.

And in December she was well to travel to California to spend Christmas with her father's relatives, who she had never met.

"She really enjoyed it. She loved meeting all her family out there and she was on top form," Mrs Frantzich, 29, said.

The family also spends a few days at Martin House Hospice, in Wetherby, for respite three or four times a year.

The couple was dealt a major blow in December 2013 when their car and vital equipment for Audrey, including a specialised buggy, chair and car seat, were stolen, along with a camera full of irreplaceable pictures.

The vehicle was later found, but the equipment had gone, leaving the family struggling with a £500 insurance excess on a limited income as American-born Herman, 26, was waiting for a National Insurance number before he could work.

A few weeks later the car was vandalised when paint was thrown over it.

Mrs Frantzich said life was much brighter now and her husband was working a full-time gardener. The couple, who live in Midland Road, Baildon, is also saving buy a home with disabled access.

On Wednesday, Audrey celebrated her birthday with a visit from family and is being taken swimming this weekend.

"She's tube fed, but she likes lollipops and she had a bit of birthday cake, she had some cream off the top," Mrs Frantzich said.

"She'll always be tube fed, but she is starting to eat a little bit more. She's doing really well. She's a little star."