Brother given second transplant

The failure of Luke's first transplant devastated the family

The youngest of four brothers with a rare potentially fatal illness is going back to hospital for a bone marrow transplant after the first one failed.

Luke Hartley, seven, and his brothers Daniel, 11, Nathan, 13, and Joshua, 15, from Romsey, Hampshire, were all born with the genetic disorder, XLP.

The condition is often fatal and the only cure is a bone marrow transplant.

Luke's transplant in May this year was unsuccessful because the donor cells failed to take.

A new donor has now been found and Luke, who is the last of the siblings to undergo the procedure, was due to have the transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London on Monday.

'Extremely grateful'

Their father, David, said the failure of Luke's first operation had been "devastating" but he was "extremely grateful" to the anonymous donor, who has given his son a chance at life.

All the siblings were diagnosed in November 2003 with XLP - X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome, or Duncan's Syndrome - which attacks the immune system.

Their parents were told their sons were unlikely to reach their teenage years without a bone marrow transplant.

Joshua had his operation in 2004 after his mother was found to be a match.

Nathan and Daniel found donors after thousands responded to a massive campaign by the Anthony Nolan Trust.

XLP is one of the world's rarest fatal genetic disorders and is believed to affect only about 100 families.