A CHILD recovering from a life-changing bone marrow transplant has received a pair of Supershoes to lift his spirits.

Henry Alderson, who is four, underwent a bone marrow transplant in hospital last April.

Nearly a year later, the youngster is still spending his days in isolation as his immune system is not working properly.

This means he cannot see other children, poorly people and cannot be in crowded places.

The situation has gone on for the past ten months and there is not a set date when he will be able to interact normally.

Henry, from Dovercourt, was born with a rare genetic condition called diamond blackfan anaemia which prevented his bone marrow from working properly.

It meant he had to have blood transfusions every three to four weeks to stay alive.

Henry is also the only person on the planet known to have a faulty myelodysplasia gene too, which made it more likely that he could develop a form of blood cancer.

His parents Zoe and Craig tried to raise £50,000 for three cycles of IVF for a sibling for Henry who was thought to be his best chance of a successful bone marrow transplant.

However, an anonymous donor came forward to give Henry the transplant he so desperately needed.

In a bid to cheer Henry up while he is still recovering following his transplant, the charity Supershoes designed a special pair of Converse for him.

Mrs Alderson said: “They design Converse shoes for children and young people with cancer.

“Henry was asked to come up with a brief about what he wanted on the shoes.

“Nightmare Before Christmas is his favourite film and he loves all things Halloween.

“So he decided he wanted his shoes to be Nightmare before Christmas themed with all of his favourite characters.

“We filled in the form with his request and a few months later the shoes arrived. He is absolutely thrilled with them.

“He’s only wearing them indoors and to his hospital appointments but it’s really cheered him up. He’s having a really rough time and although he takes everything in his stride, he is only four and has been poorly for a long time.”