THE parents of 11-week-old William Jones have issued a heartbreaking plea for people to join the organ donor register. Baby William was born in May with a genetic condition that means he desperately needs a heart transplant because his own is too weak. Mum and dad Laura Osborne and Stuart Jones, from Hemel Hempstead, are raising awareness of organ donation as they endure the agonising wait.
The new parents have moved into hospital accommodation to be near their boy, who is on life support at Great Ormond Street in London. Laura, 35, said: “We really miss him, we had a few weeks at home and he was an absolute delight. “His heart doesn’t work properly and he has been listed for an urgent heart transplant, which is the only option to save his life.
“We could be waiting a year or two, or longer – he may not make it to transplant but we’re keeping going. “We are terrified because he could deteriorate at any point.” Heart must be donated from another baby William was born with dilated cardiomyopathy , a genetic condition which means his heart muscle is enlarged, making it too thin and stretched to pump blood properly.
Around one in 250 people are estimated to have it but not all are seriously affected. Most read in Health William is on the urgent transplant list but will need a heart donated from another baby that has passed away. There are 250 children on the NHS transplant waiting list in the UK, with 38 who need a new heart.
Mum Laura said: “I’ve been a regis.