A LITTLE boy faces his third bone marrow transplant before his second birthday.

Jack Kleinberg has battled against two life-threatening conditions as he suffers from familial mediterranean fever and WiskottAldrich syndrome, which affects one in 10 million children and means he has to live in virtual isolation.

His parents, Rob and Vicki, live with the knowledge that any part of his body can stop working at any time from a simple fall or infection.

The couple, of St James Gardens, Westcliff, spend much of their time travelling to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Jack to receive treatment to keep him alive.

The family includes Robs children from a previous relationship, Oliver, 14 and Sophia, ten.

Vicki, 28, said: Its a 24/7 job, but we wouldnt change it for the world. Oliver and Sophia didnt see Jack for the first year because he was in hospital. Its become normal for them to come home and wash and change into sterile clothes before they can see Jack, because of the danger of infection for him. Jack has had one full transplant and a top-up transplant and is waiting for a potential donor for a possible third transplant.

Vicki said: People think it is a painful process, but these days it is a stem cell transplant where if a donor is found to be suitable, they are given an injection the week before, which makes the body release bone marrowcells into the blood stream which are then taken like a normal blood donation. It takes just 20 minutes of someones time and saves so many lives. The transplants have given Jack 25 per cent of the cells he needs. Without them, he wouldnt have lived past his first birthday.

We are trying to get through Christmas and then we will decide on whether, if a donor is found, Jack has another full stem cell transplant or whether we let him live his life, with all its restrictions, for a while because he has spent so much time in hospital.

For more information about becoming a donor, visit http://www.anthonynolan.org

Rugby club is pitching in

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People urged to donate bone marrow as tot faces third transplant