Six-year-old home after life-saving transplant

Dec 11 2007 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy has left hospital less than two months after receiving a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Rhys Harris, from Newbridge, was discharged on Saturday after living in a “bubble” to protect his new immune system.

His family – parents Kevin and Dawn and brother Morgan – are currently living in Newcastle while Rhys undergoes pioneering treatment to cure him of the genetic disease Nemo.

Mr Harris said, in his online blog, “We are all just trying to get into a normal rhythm again now. Rhys has a whole pharmacy of drugs to contend with, but it is not too bad.

“He is, to put it mildly, mad. He has not stopped, beating on his brother, running around like a lunatic. Hopefully the novelty of being home will wear off soon and he will slow down.”

Rhys underwent a bone marrow transplant in October after a donor was found in the US – he had to spend so much time in the sterile bubble because he was unable to fight off any type of infection.

His immune system was destroyed by chemotherapy before the bone marrow transplant could take place.

Rhys, who is deaf as the result of a bout of meningitis, was allowed out of hospital for a day trip at the end of November before doctors said he was well enough to return home with his family.