‘Bubble Boy’ is 21.. thanks to genes op
“BUBBLE Boy” Rhys Evans, the first person in the UK to receive pioneering gene therapy for a rare immune condition, has celebrated his 21st birthday.
As a baby Rhys spent months in a sterile hospital “bubble”, as any germ could have killed him.
His illness prevented him from developing an immune system but was cured by adding a correctly functioning version of the faulty gene.
Rhys, from Cardiff, had the surgery at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital and 100 similar lifesaving operations have followed since in the UK.
Mat Shaw, GOSH chief executive, said: “This is a true celebration of research changing lives and we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved.”