His heartbroken parents were told he would only live six weeks.
But Liam Derbyshire has defied all the odds to make it to 11 - despite stopping breathing every time he falls asleep.
The schoolboy has to be plugged into a life support machine every night to keep him alive.
He suffers from a rare condition called central hypoventilation, also known as Ondine's Curse, which means he stops breathing whenever he nods off.
The family, of Gosport, Hants, have spent thousands on electricity bills for his equipment and have also installed emergency lighting in case of a power cut at night.
Liam attends Heathfield special school in Fareham, Hants, and has to permanently wear a tracheostomy breathing tube in his throat.
He is in remission from cancer that he had as a young child.
But despite his problems, Liam has defied doctors' gloomy predictions.
Mum, Kim, 50, said: 'Every day the doctors are amazed at how fit he is. He has defied all the odds.
'We have been very fortunate with Liam that he has had the life that he's got. We always wanted him to have as normal a life as we could give him. He's exceeded all expectations.
'We have to keep a very close eye on him. He goes from being totally active and then his heart rate slows right down.
'He is so full of life, he's fantastic. He's constantly smiling and laughing. He's very affectionate. He has all the normal traits of a lot of kids. Every day of his life is a bonus.'
Dr Gary Connett, who treats Liam at Southampton General Hospital, Hants, said: 'It's an extremely rare condition. Liam was the first patient I diagnosed with central hypoventilation when I came to this hospital 12 years ago.
'The really unusual thing about Liam is that he had a cancer growing inside of him and he had a problem with his bowel.
'I couldn't find any reports of children who had all these problems and survived.
It's quite amazing. I would say he's unique worldwide.'
Ondine's curse is a reference to the myth of Ondine, a water nymph who had an unfaithful mortal lover.
He swore to her that his every waking breath would be a testimony of his love, and when he was unfaithful to her, she cursed that if he should fall asleep, he would forget to breathe.
Liam has round the clock care and a carer comes into the house at night to watch Liam and to allow his parents to sleep.
He has a battery operated ventilator in case he falls asleep in the car or on a plane.
He has to eat huge portions of food regularly as he has a very small digestive system.
The family spend £700 a month on food because of Liam's extraordinary appetite.
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