PARENTS of a one-year-old with a rare blood condition are urging people to sign up as a blood donor and "save someone's life".
One-year-old Max Gardner was diagnosed with the rare blood condition Aplastic Anaemia after his parents noticed a series of mystery bruises on his body.
Parents Connor Gardner, 29, and Rachel Nicholson, 27, told themselves the bruises were normal as Max had just begun to crawl.
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Mr Gardner said: "They were all over his shins but he had just started crawling so we thought it was that.
"It was quite a worrying time though, we were scared to put photos of him on social media because we were concerned about what people would think."
The parents only took Max, who loves to dance to Sam Fender, to get checked over when they noticed a rash and were worried it was meningitis but it turned out to be a cluster of small bruises.
The toddler was first misdiagnosed but as doctors looked into his blood, via a bone biopsy, they saw it was Aplastic Anaemia.
Only one in every one million people are diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia, which is a serious condition affecting the blood, where the bone marrow and stem cells do not produce enough blood cells.
Mr Gardner said: "We braced ourselves for the worst and thought it was going to be leukaemia. We told the nurses that if it was, we are ready to start fighting.
"When they said it was Aplastic Anaemia, it was a relief. But that's because we didn't know what it was."
The dad said he and Miss Nicholson soon realised "it wasn't any better".
He added: "We had a cry and I had to go home, while Rachel stayed in the hospital with Max. I started researching, you know the first thing you do is look at the survival rate.
"But Rachel for about three days actually thought it was terminal. She thought that was it."
Due to Covid restrictions, Max is allowed two visitors in the same room for up to an hour, but after that one of his parents has to go home to Hebburn.
The couple, who tried for a baby for two-and-a-half years before conceiving Max, were told there was a very low chance of either of them being a match for their son, who needs a bone marrow transplant.
Mr Gardner said: "There are a couple of treatments but bone marrow transplants are considered the only real cure.
"We were at a loss but thought hopefully there will be a match on the blood donor register.
"I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up to Rachel, she had just found out that she was a match. We both started crying. It was a massive relief."
He was due to spend Christmas in hospital but his transplant has been rescheduled due to another child's operation.
Up until Max's admission date on January 6, the family are visiting hospital twice a week for platelets and blood transfusions.
"I'm so glad we get to spend Christmas at home as a family, even if we are shielding so can't see others," Mr Gardner said.
"I wasn't even going to put the tree up as there would just be me in the house but I have now for Max. Things have to be washed so many times before they can go into the transplant ward, where Max would have been, so we were even limited in what we could give him on Christmas he was in there.
"But he is the happiest little boy, nothing phases him. He is always smiling. One this we can take from this is at least he is too young to remember.
"He knows the nurses and hospital staff better than he knows his own family as he has seen them so much more due to coronavirus rules. Another positive is that the hospital staff have been fantastic."
Max is currently recovering from a testicular biopsy for fertility preservation, as chemotherapy may make him infertile.
Not everyone with rare blood conditions can find a match like Max.
Eight-year-old Evie Hodgson, from North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with very severe Aplastic Anaemia during lockdown. While none of her family are a match, she did find one on the Anthony Nolan register.
However, this person pulled out.
Mr Gardner is now urging people to sign up to the donor register.
He said: "It's so important to register as a donor. It's a simple swab and you may never get called up, and if you do, you are saving someone's life.
"We weren't signed up to the register before but that was just sheer ignorance. We want to make people aware of the condition now. You see appeals on Facebook and just scroll past them, people have no idea how important it is to e on the register.
"We only know because it happened to us."
To sign up to the blood donor register, click here: https://www.anthonynolan.org/
To support Max, click here: https://uk.gf.me/v/c/gfm/rfcc9-max-in-a-million
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