A YORK couple have turned to IVF specialists, in an attempt to have a baby that could save the life of their desperately ill son.

Ben Rhodes, 27, and his wife Caroline, 32, are trying to raise tens of thousands of pounds to fund genetic screening treatment.

Their two-year-old son William suffers from a rare form of anaemia and needs monthly blood transfusions, and is likely to have serious health problems if he survives into his teenage years without a bone- marrow transplant.

Now Ben and Caroline, from Hamilton Drive in Holgate, hope stem cells from the umbilical cord of a tissue-matched brother or sister could save William’s life.

Caroline said: “We had always planned to have another child and this way we can help William at the same time. Hopefully, it will save his life and give him a better quality of life.

“If he has a transplant, he should lead the same kind of life any healthy child does. This is our only way forward.”

The couple hope to begin trying to conceive this year and are in a race against time to have the treatment while William is healthy, as his monthly blood transfusions cause a dangerous iron overload in his system.

He suffers from diamond blackfan anaemia, which affects only 125 people in Britain and leaves him unable to produce red blood cells.

Family and friends have started fundraising, as Ben and Caroline may need in excess of £60,000 to pay for the treatment and for William’s aftercare.

The couple say they are also in talks with the NHS to try and secure funding.

Caroline and Ben, who have been married for four years, said they vowed to have two children after former York City player Ben fell ill shortly after they were married.

Caroline said: “We were married in December 2006 and in May 2007, Ben had a kidney and pancreas transplant and spent three months recovering from that.

“We always said when Ben was well we would start a family.

“I do not want people to think we are having another child just because William is poorly.

“He is a really happy little boy. Because William looks so healthy people take for granted that he is going to be all right. It’s what’s going on inside his body that is the worrying thing – he is a very poorly child.”

Ben and Caroline thanked their family and friends for helping to raise funds so far.

If individuals or businesses would like to help the pair, either with a donation or by fundraising, phone Caroline and Ben on 07876 196934 or email crhodes78@hotmail.co.uk


The treatment

Doctors in Paris are working to identify the faulty gene which causes William’s diamond blackfan anaemia, a condition which affects around 125 people in the UK.

The process may take months to complete and scientists cannot guarantee they will be successful in finding the gene.

Even if they are not successful, scientists will then use pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to screen embryos for a tissue match to William.

If scientists are able to pinpoint the faulty gene they will also be able to screen for the genetic abnormality. If they are unsuccessful it is believed unlikely the condition will be passed to Ben and Caroline’s baby.

Stem cells collected from the umbilical cord at the birth of the baby will be used in William’s bone marrow transplant.

Caroline and Ben said while a marrow transplant from an unrelated donor had a 45 per cent success rate, one from a sibling had a 95 per cent success rate.