`I broke down when I realised that the future I thought my little boy had ahead of him was gone´
(WorldNews Health)

Nothing is more worrying than a sick child, particularly if they have a life-long condition. However, when they are diagnosed with something very uncommon, it is surely even harder for both parent and their child. According to the HSE, there are an estimated six to eight thousand rare diseases affecting up to 6 per cent of the EU population and about 300,000 Irish people at some point throughout their lives. Conditions such as Cystic fibrosis and haemophilia are considered rare, but there are many other diseases which are less known. Twelve-year-old Joshua McCarthy from Waterford is one of those who suffers from a rare disease which wasn´t diagnosed until he was he was 2½ years old. `Joshua...