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The boy who faces nine months in an air bubble
Last updated at 23:22pm on 18.02.07
Five-year-old Rhys will be forced to live in a sealed room for up to nine months
It is the modern equivalent of living in a sealed plastic bubble.
And it is also the best chance of survival for a desperately ill five-year-old.
Rhys Harris is to spend up to nine months living in an air-tight chamber measuring just 40ft by 40ft.
He will be cut off from the outside world to allow his immune system to recover after being rebuilt following a bone marrow transplant.
The sterile ward, which is located behind three sets of doors, will have a special canopy over his bed to filter the air that he breathes to make sure he doesn't catch an infection.
His parents, Dawn, 36, and Kevin, 42, will only be able to see him when they have scrubbed up and put on surgical masks and robes.
Even then they won't be able to kiss him goodnight in case they pass on a bug that could prove fatal. Without the pioneering treatment, Rhys could have only 18 months to live.
He is one of only 35 people in the world to suffer from NEMO, a disease that destroys the body's immune system. His best hope of survival is intensive chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant.
Only two people have ever undergone a similar sealed room procedure and it will be the first time it has been attempted in Britain.
The process will be even harder as Rhys was left profoundly deaf after suffering a bout of meningitis at nine months old and was diagnosed with TB last year.
Rhys' father said: 'We know it is a slim chance but we have to take it. The flipside of the coin is not worth thinking about. We need to be positive.
'Rhys is going to have to live for several months in a clear unit behind door upon door upon door.
'There'll be a little red line round his bed over which no one can pass - we won't be able to hold him or hug him or anything - all contact will be very limited because he'll have no immune system whatsoever during the first three weeks of chemo.'
After four weeks he will move into a 40ft by 40ft yellow square so he can walk around and will remain there for at least eight months.
His brother Morgan, four, will be unable to see Rhys face-to-face, but will stay in touch with him via a webcam.
His family are moving from their home in Newbridge, South Wales, to Newcastle ready for the treatment at the city's general hospital.
The medical team is still searching for a bone marrow donor, ideally from someone who has had TB. Six good matches have already been identified and doctors hope to start treatment in April.
Rhys' parents have since set up a website - www.cure4rhys.org - to post updates on the boy's battle.
