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A 10-year-old boy who twice fought cancer suffered irreparable brain damage when he reacted to drugs prescribed for glandular fever.
Leon O’Neill is now in a vegetative state, with doctors warning his devastated parents he will not recover.
Caroline Bottrell and Shaun O'Neill are today desperately trying to raise enough money to modify their house, so they can bring their son home from hospital.
Leon was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was just four and had three years of chemotherapy before going into remission.
Leon O'Neill battled leukaemia twice and has now been left with brain damage after suffering a reaction to some medication he was given after developing glandular fever. He is pictured when he had leukaemia
But the cancer returned in February 2013 and the family were told the best chance of a cure was a bone marrow transplant.
Leon, from Barrow in Cumbria, had the transplant last summer at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
It went well and after spending weeks in isolation to prevent any infections he was able to go home.
He returned home in September last year but just two days before Christmas he was given urgent medication after catching the glandular fever virus.
Tragically, Leon suffered extreme side effects to the treatment and he was left fighting for his life in intensive care as he went into septic shock – a life-threatening condition where the blood pressure falls dangerously low after an infection - and kidney failure.
To the horror of his family, he suffered brain damage which left him in a vegetative state and unable to recover.
He was transferred to Barrow’s Furness General Hospital in April but his family are desperate to adapt their house so he can return home.
Leon (pictured with his father, Shaun, and a fundraiser) is now in a vegetative state in hospital and his parents have been warned that he will not recover
The family have started an appeal to raise £20,000 to make the necessary changes to the ground floor and achieve their dream of bringing Leon back to his own surroundings.
The youngster will need round-the-clock care from his family and carers.
They also want to create a bedroom and bathroom area for Leon by extending into the garden.
His parents, Caroline Bottrell, 38, and Shaun O’Neill, 42, say their son is so brave and his courage and strength has always got everyone through.
Leon's parents are now trying to raise enough money to adapt their house so they can take him home
Miss Bottrell said: ‘We were told we could lose him, and I looked at Leon and said “you have to pull through”. Miraculously he did pull through.
‘ICU were fantastic and saved his life, but unbeknown to us and the medical team he had suffered global brain damage due to the low blood pressure.
'His brain was starved of oxygen and it caused irreparable damage.
‘Leon is now in a vegetative state, but I believe Leon knows us when we talk to him and he communicates in his own way. He is aware of who is around him.
‘It was advised that Leon is given palliative care as he is not going to get better from his brain injury. He is hanging on in there and fighting.
‘We will give Leon the best, whatever it takes and get him home. He deserves it more than anything because he will be able to sense being home.
‘He has spent a lot of his young life in hospital and now he should be at home and be peaceful, we owe him that.
‘We are thankful that Leon is still with us fighting on. We want to give him the best for what time he has left.’
Miss Bottrell has thanked all the medics, Leon’s carers, and family and friends for their support.
The family has applied for planning permission which is in the process and they have a builder ready to start.
A disabled facilities grant was declined as the family has a living room space, but this is their only living space and the family want a more permanent arrangement for Leon, as they will also have carers staying in their home overnight.
The family are in the early stages of the appeal against the council decision.
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