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Liam is 1 in 100 million!

Son struggles to fight a rare genetic condition as his family plan US trip to learn more about his disorder By Douglas McDonald - 06/09/07

TWO-year-old Liam Smyth is a little man with a big heart.The toddler from Nottingham was born with a rare medical condition that affects fewer than 60 people worldwide. He weighs now the same as a 10-week-old baby.

As his mum Joanne says: “Liam is an absolute blessing, but we don’t know how long we may have him. Our focus is for him to have the best possible life.”

Now Joanne, 38, and her husband Robert, 29, from Dublin, are planning to travel to the United States with Liam to meet experts on Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II, the condition with which their son was born.

And they need help raising the funds to make the trip. A recent event held at Carlton Catholic Club in Nottingham began the fund-raising campaign.

As dad Robert says: “The real purpose of the trip to the US is to see if there is any chance of a cure, even though we know the condition is incurable.

It’s really Liam’s only chance of survival.”

Liam’s condition is so rare that it affects less than one in every 100 million babies at birth. And, although Liam will be three years old nest month, he still wears clothes intended for babies aged three to six months.Liam is not expected to grow more than three feet tall and he faces a raft of other hazards in life, including anincreased risk of strokes.

His condition is hereditary and incurable. However, some of the symptoms can be treated.Says Joanne: “Liam melts your heart when you meet him. Everyone who meets him thinks he is so cute.“But I think it is important for people generally to learn more about the condition that is affecting him. And to get to know Liam as the lovely little boy that is.”

The family are hoping that the trip to the US with Liam will teach them more about what the future holds for their son, as well as a cure if one is ever found.

They hope to travel next year for a convention organised by the Little People of America. It is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide support and information to those with dwarfism and their families.

For the full story, get your copy of The Irish World.

FAMILY: Liam Smyth with parents Joanne and Robert and brother Martin,