Rhys Williams 18th birthday preparations underway

Rhys Williams' has a crippling skin condition and it was thought the teenager, who has won the hearts of the people of Bolton, would not reach his first landmark birthday of 10.

Now his family are calling on the people of Bolton to help give the brave and inspirational youngster a birthday to remember

The teenager from Bolton suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, which leaves him covered in blisters, with the skin on his hands and legs fused together.

Mum Tanya Williams wants to give Rhys a birthday to remember on September 21, especially after the recent bowel cancer diagnosis for dad, Mark Williams.

Mark is under palliative care and the news has hit the family hard with the children struggling to come to terms with it.

Tanya said: “Doctors said he would not reach double figures, so this is quite big because he is turning 18.

“He’s had a few blood transfusions but other than that he’s been really good.

“But it’s been a tough few months after his dad was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer so it’s been hard but we have tried to make it as normal as possible for the kids, it’s what we do as parents.

“Rhys has enough issues himself without having the pressure of his dad being terminally ill.”

Mark is currently undergoing chemotherapy to give him a better quality of life, but Tanya wants to cheer Rhys up with heaps of birthday cards.

She said: “Last time the birthday cards took his mind off things, so I’d love to do it again.

“And Mark’s illness is not going away so we just have to carry on and try to make it better.

“So, this could give Rhys hope and he will know there are people out there that support him.”

Rhys currently does not have many friends he can see and relies on his X-Box for entertainment.

Tanya said: “He gets a lot of grief for his condition and because he is different.

“His lifeline is his X-Box, so if people support him, I think he will go further in life because he’ll know he has support.

“There are days where he wants to give up because he is not feeling like anybody has his back.”

Instead, Rhys loves playing board games, collecting Monopoly boards, watching anything to do with Transformers and following YouTubers Sidemen and Mr. Beast.

And despite being two months away from his next birthday, mum Tanya says she is worried for the future.

She said: “I have known people with this condition and it’s getting closer to the time now and I feel like it’s going to happen soon.

“It’s scary and I want him to stay as a baby again because I know I’d have 10 years with him but now I am thinking, when is it going to happen?”

Cards and messages can be sent to Rhys at 40 Whalley Avenue, Bolton, BL1 5UD.