Parents meet the strangers who 'made our family possible'

GERMAN DONORS MEET CHILDREN WHOSE LIVES THEIR CELLS SAVED

- By ELEANOR FLEMING

A MARGATE couple whose sons were born with a rare genetic disorder and would have died without lifesaving transplants have met the two German donors who saved the children's lives.

Kate Greenstock and her partner James Reeve were devastated to learn that their son Otis, now five, had been born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) - a condition which meant he effectively did not have a working immune system.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) the condition is fatal, usually within the first year or two of life, unless the child receives immune-restoring treatments, such as transplants.

When Ms Greenstock became pregnant with their second son Nelson, now three, and they discovered he also had SCID she and her partner "couldn't believe it".

Fortunately, matches for both children were found by the Anthony Nolan charity and the stem cell transplants were a success - and this year, just after Otis' five-year post-transplant anniversary, the family arranged to meet the two donors.

The couple invited the two "selfless" men, Domenik and Julian, to the TCS London Marathon, which Mr Reeve took part in, and said they now feel like "family".

Ms Greenstock, 41, a design director, said: "It was one of the best experiences of my life, meeting them.

"I collected Domenik from Stansted Airport, and I wrote in German, 'Thank you for saving Otis' life,' on my sign.

"That hug that we had at Stansted was like nothing I've ever experienced before."

Mr Reeve, 44, a software designer, added: "They have made our family possible.

"Meeting them meant the absolute world to us, and I've got a feeling that this is the beginning of a lifelong relationship.

"It feels like they're family."

Before Otis was born in July 2019, the couple had never heard of SCID.