On the 24th January I received a call from the hospital that my wife was going into labour, our second child. As I'm making my way to the hospital many thought's are running through my head. Every parent prays their child is born healthy. Reeva, finally arrived into this world! The emotions of becoming a Father again were euphoric. Soon we would be taking our new daughter home to meet her family.

Two days pass and our world comes crumbling down, being given the news Reeva had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency [SCID]. She was born without an immune system and cannot fight the simplest of infection. Even the common cold passed on by a parent’s kiss could be fatal.

1 in 5 million babies diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) Reticular dysgenesis (RD) type, due to the condition Reeva is profound deaf and we are in process for the hearing treatment with audiology team in Cardiff.

The only way of keeping these ‘bubble babies’ safe from infection is to care for them in a ‘bubble’, a high tech sterile room, and their only chance of survival is to give them a completely new immune system. Giving them a Bone Marrow Transplant is a difficult treatment, but is the only way.

The Doctors told us Reeva would need to be moved to a specialist unit in Newcastle and put in a sterile room which was known as the Bubble Room. We would have to remain in Newcastle until a Bone Marrow Transplant could be found. 

Our world fell apart negative thoughts started to enter my head. Will Reeva survive to have a bone marrow transplant. My emotions were all over the place.I would cry alone as my wife was already in a deep depression, to see me in the same state would have pushed her over the edge.

A few days pass and we would come to hear that another child with the same condition had passed away, due to the same condition. Emotionally, I was in a zombie state, not eating or sleeping. How long will it take to find a Bone Marrow match for Reeva. I would think "there are many children waiting for a Bone Marrow will my Reeva have the strength to fight and stay alive until a marrow is found".

Many parents were in the same situation! My child was now fighting to stay alive. Finally, after many weeks we had good news my wife was a match. Reeva would need to go undertake a week of Chemotherapy and if she came through that, the preparation for the Bone Marrow could start.

A week later the time had come for the transplant to take place. The operation was successful and Reeva is now on the road to recovery, we still have many hurdles to jump to get to the end of the track.

We are lucky that we have the NHS providing a great health care services when it’s needed. Each child has a dedicated team of medical staff including social workers, psychologists etc.. to provide support to parents 24/7. These are highly skilled individuals who are selfless and go above and beyond of what is required of them. The treatment cost for Reeva’s condition running into million.

The highly trained specialist nursing liaison team helps parents to prepare for the child’s transplant and to manage their aftercare. Also, medical and nursing staff will support parents during child’s stay, providing emotional and practical support. This is one of the toughest jobs as the high's are saving the life of a child and their are days of darkness when a child leaves this world due to an infection. 

These are the unsung hero's that dedicate their lives to saving children from the scourge of SCID.