WHEN doting dad Marc Sutcliffe saw his baby daughter being born, he did not know if she would survive five minutes.

But 12 months later, the tiny tot with an incredible will to live is proving she has plenty of fight in her miniscule body.

Keah Sutcliffe was born at 26 weeks, weighing just 478 grams - or 1.05 pounds - the same weight as Apple's tablet iPad Air.

Medics feared she would not survive the caesarian section, let alone reach her first birthday.

But she reached that milestone on Sunday, leaving Marc and Keah's besotted mum, Janine Cunliffe, marvelling at their little fighter's determination to live.

"She has always been determined and the fact she is here now proves that. She is a miracle to me," said Marc who, along with 37-year-old Janine, spent the first six months with Keah in hospital.

Now living with her parents in Breightmet, Keah is fed through a tube into her stomach and also has permanent oxygen because of lung disease.

"We hope that she will eventually be able to manage without that but we don't know yet," said 38-year-old Marc.

The smiling, blue-eyed baby sleeps through the night and loves playing with her three older siblings, unaware of the pain and anguish her loving parents have been through.

"It was terrible watching Keah being born. I thought at one point I had lost Janine as her blood pressure dropped so low," said Marc, who said they thought they would never have a child because of Janine's blood pressure problems.

When she announced she was pregnant, the pair were jubilant and Marc's three children, from his previous relationship, were also looking forward to the birth of their sister.

"We knew we were having a girl and we were delighted," he said.

But the initial joy would be short lived as problems were discovered with the placenta and Janine was told that she could allow the baby to die in the womb or they could try to deliver her and hope for the best.

"Janine said we had to give her a chance," said Marc, so they were taken to Oldham Royal Infirmary, from the Royal Bolton Hospital, because it was better equipped to deal with their situation.

The moment she was born, Keah was rushed from the theatre and into an incubator. It would be hours before the couple could see her. She was so tiny she could fit in her dad's hand.

"We had to take every day at a time. After a month, she gained enough strength to be moved to the Royal Bolton and she stayed there for five and a half months."

Now weighing 11lb 4oz, Keah is a beaming bundle of fun.

She loves playing with her toys, can eat solid food — shepherd's pie is a favourite — and brings a great deal of joy to her parents.

They know it will be a long and arduous road but it is one they never thought they would see, and are delighted to tread it.

"We feared we would never get here with Keah so are just so pleased to have her with us and we enjoy every minute," said a proud Marc.

Because of her chronic lung disease, Keah is regularly admitted to hospital with chest infections but she is now starting to meet all the baby milestones, even if it is bit later than most tiny tots.

She can now roll over but cannot sit up and she can certainly smile - and loves playing with anything that makes a noise, including the wrapping from her feeding syringe.