Rare disease claims life of baby Tommy (From The Bolton News)

Rare disease claims life of baby Tommy

11:29am Tuesday 1st May 2007 in

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A BABY born with a fatal genetic condition has died at the age of three months.

Tommy D'Attorre was cradled by his devastated parent as he lost his battle for life in Derian House children's hospice.

He was suffering from a chronic form of muscle weakness called SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), which has no cure.

The beautiful child with the hazel eyes brought heartbreak and love in equal measure for his parents, Ralph and Siobhain, and they knew that their time together would be short.

The couple were with Tommy at Derian House in Chorley when his condition began to deteriorate.

"He was having trouble with his breathing, and we were walking with him in the garden," explained his 43-year-old father, a business management consultant.

"We sat on a bench and we were both crying as we could see he was drifting away.

"But we held him and he died with a smile on his face."

The couple then got Siobhain's two children, Callum, aged 12 and six-year-old Mairead, and the family sat with him for a while as they said their goodbyes. They had been determined to have little Tommaso Peter at home with them in Hallbridge Gardens, off Crompton Way, after the devastating diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy robbed them of hope he would live a long and healthy life.

The condition is the most common single genetic cause of death in infancy, but the odds on Tommy being born with it were still 10,000 to one.

It occurs because of the combination of two rogue genes his parents unknowingly carried.

Today, his family were trying to come to terms with the loss of the baby whose movement was so limited but capacity for bringing love boundless.

"He was a very special child and we will never forget him," said Mr D'Attorre.

The funeral will be held at 10am on Tuesday, May 8, at St Osmund's RC Church, Breightmet.