THE brother of bone marrow transplant girl Aimee Read was rushed to the same hospital as his sister after a health scare.

Eighteen-month-old Jack was taken to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in Pendlebury after a rash was discovered on his leg.

Fortunately it proved to be nothing more than a viral infection and Jack was released the following day.

Aimee, who has leukaemia, is a patient at the hospital after having undergone a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

The drama began last Friday after Aimee's mum Wendy of Moorcroft, Edenfield, discovered the rash and feared the worst.

"The rash looked like the ones Aimee used to develop. I was really worried and scared," said Wendy. Jack was taken to the hospital on Saturday for a number of blood tests. He was asked to stay in overnight for a bone marrow test.

Talking from Aimee's bedside, Wendy said: "We were really scared and had to go through two days without knowing what was going on. It was horrendous."

The test showed Jack had developed an infection which caused his red blood cell count to fall but after treatment he was allowed to go home.

During the overnight stay the brother and sister, who were put in beds near to each other, kept the nurses entertained with their antics.

"They couldn't talk because Aimee is in a special unit, but they could see each other and they kept the nurses entertained by pulling faces at each other," said the relieved mother.

"During Jack's stay I was walking from one cubicle to another - the nurses were probably wondering what I was doing."

Jack has had little contact with his sister since she was admitted to hospital.

Aimee has been kept in an isolation unit where only her parents and grandmother are allowed to enter.

The bone marrow transplant is the five-year-old's only hope of survival. Though it will be at least at a year before it is known for sure whether the transplant has been successful, Wendy said the consultants were pleased with her progress.

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