A set of twins who were the smallest pair medics had ever seen, and were born with a rare digestive condition have defied the odds to hit a major milestone.

Evie and April Hardiker, from Burnley, both weighed the same as a load of bread when they were born five years ago, and both had to undergo major surgery within hours of being born to save their lives.

The twins, now five, were born with oesophageal atresia with tracheo-oesophageal fistula, a condition where the oesophagus is not connected to the windpipe - it affects around one in 4,000 newborns.

The condition can lead to serious complications, but thanks to life-saving surgery led by consultant surgeons David Wilkinson and Nick Lansdale,  at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital they came through the ordeal and have now started school.

Lancashire Telegraph: April, left, and Evie as newbornsApril, left, and Evie as newborns (Image: Royal Manchester Children's Hospital)

Mum Lindsay, 38, and roofer dad Steve, 51, have managed the girls' condition for years, with them getting regular checks at hospital and Evie still needing a feeding tube up until only a year ago.

“I don’t know where to start with the challenges we’ve had.” said Lindsay, a nurse herself.

“Evie is very small for her age and gets poorly easily; April is a bit more resistant to illness but there are still lots of check-up appointments needed to keep an eye on their condition.

“The condition means Evie gets chest infections much easier and struggles in winter, but the problems don’t end in summer as April tends to be worse through that season – if it’s not one then it’s the other!

Lancashire Telegraph: The family together on a boat with Evie, left, and April, rightThe family together on a boat with Evie, left, and April, right (Image: Royal Manchester Children's Hospital)

“They’ll both have to continue being seen by the hospital until they’re adults. When they were born I was worried they would always be poorly and might not develop properly, maybe even have brain damage, and they’d be going to school needing to eat through feeding tubes.

“But they’ve both settled into school so well and their condition hasn’t held them back at all.

"They’re not old enough to really understand the situation, they have scars which they ask about and we explain it’s from when they were poorly as babies.

“People tend to think twins will be similar in how they act, but they’re very different from each other.

"April is eager to be with the rest of the kids at school and always wants to be the smartest in her class, she absolutely loves school.

"Evie is a lot more laid back and does things in her own time, she’s by far the smallest in her class but it doesn’t seem to bother her.”

With the amount of time the twins have spent at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, the family have grown close to staff over the years and are grateful for the care received.

Lindsay added: “When they were born, they were taken away and underwent life-saving surgery pretty much immediately.

"Dr Wilkinson and Dr Lansdale operated on one baby each at the same time. It’s mind-blowing what they can do, I still can’t comprehend how someone can have the skills to operate on a baby so small like they did.

“I can’t praise staff enough. They have been incredible, everyone has always been so nice and down to earth, nobody talks to you as though they’re on a pedestal – you feel like part of a group.

"We share family stories and know each other personally, so it very much feels like a family.

“The girls always send handmade Christmas cards to staff. We send them update pictures and the team share them between each other.

"We’re so grateful for what they did and it feels amazing seeing our girls running off into school problem-free, we never thought it would be this way.”