A MIRACLE baby who battled his way to birth is fighting a one in 9,000,000 genetic condition – which leaves him needing a blood transfusion every three weeks.

Craig and Zoe Alderson were told their baby son, Henry, might not survive her pregnancy or his first hours of life.

The little fighter defied the odds and was born in December, although he was found to be severely anaemic.

Henry, who is now six months old, was kept in intensive care for almost a week and spent two-and-a-half weeks in the neo-natal unit, where he was given two blood transfusions.

Scans taken when Zoe was pregnant revealed the baby may have genetic problems, but the worried parents did not know the full extent of his condition.

Zoe, of Artillery Drive, Dovercourt, said: “On Christmas Eve, he wasn’t looking well, so we took him to the hospital and he needed another transfusion.

“That was when the doctors said there was definitely something wrong.

“We found out he had Diamond Blackfan anaemia. This means every three weeks he must have a blood transfusion.

“It is incredibly rare, there are only 120 people in the UK with the condition.

“It’s like winning the worst lottery in the world.”

Zoe said the family found the worry of the transfusions the most difficult thing to deal with, as every transfusion pushed Henry further to overloading on iron.

He would need specialist therapy to remove the excess iron, which means he would be pumped with drugs 12 hours a day, five days a week.

Although there is no cure, the condition can be temporarily treated with steroids or Henry can undergo a bone marrow transplant.

“He is a hero, he takes it all in his stride and is not fazed by any of the issues – it’s incredible,” added Zoe.

“He has taken it all fine, it’s just us who worry really.

Zoe is selling home-made fudge to help raise money for Henry’s treatment, which can be ordered online at fudgeitall.wordpress.com.