By . Emma Innes . A three-year-old girl with a unique combination of illnesses desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life, doctors have said. Tia Pugh, who loves Peppa Pig and the Muppets, has an extremely rare form of immune deficiency called STAT1 deficiency. Medics have also discovered she has a tuberculosis-like illness called mycobacterium malmoense. They believe she may be the only person in the world to suffer both illnesses at the same time. Tia Pugh is thought to be the only person in the world with a rare immune deficiency, called STAT1 deficiency, and a tuberculosis-like illness, called mycobacterium malmoense . After months of hospital treatment and numerous tests, doctors now say her only chance of cure is a bone marrow transplant. Tia's father, Nick, is from Worcester and her mother, Yupa, is Thai with Cambodian heritage. This relatively rare ethnic mix means finding a genetic match for Tia could prove extremely difficult. Mr Pugh said: ‘Tia is our darling little daughter and it is heartbreaking to watch her suffer like this. ‘Now that the doctors have identified what's wrong we can at last get moving on finding a cure. ‘But we have to be quick, and that cure is out of our hands until we can find a match. ‘All I can say to the people out . there is please help us however you can, by signing up to the register . or setting up a recruitment event in your area. ‘Think . how you would feel if it was your daughter, or your son, and you needed . a stranger to help them survive. Childhood is supposed to be full of . fun and joy, and that's all we want for our Tia. Tia (pictured with her parents, Nick and Yupa) will be hard to find a bone marrow donor for because she is of unusual ethnic heritage - her father is from Worcester and her mother is Thai with Cambodian heritage . ‘Please help us help her, by signing up to the bone marrow register.’ Tia was born in April 2011 with STAT1 deficiency but her illness only became apparent in February 2013 when she was very slow to recover from a salmonella infection. STAT1 deficiency is a genetic condition which is passed down through families. For a child to be born with it, both of their parents have to be carriers of the condition. Tia was born with STAT1 deficiency . but her illness only became apparent in February 2013 when she was very . slow to recover from a salmonella infection. STAT1 deficiency is a genetic condition which is passed down through families. For a child to be born with it, both of their parents have to be carriers of the condition. It is characterised by susceptibility to both bacterial and viral infections. These often prove fatal. Because a patient’s immune system is unable to deal with infections, they have to be given regular antibiotics. The . only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant and, for Tia, it is . vital a donor is found before she succumbs to an infection. Tia also has mycobacterium malmoense which is an opportunistic infection which is usually treated with antituberculosis drugs. However, these are of limited effectiveness. It is characterised by susceptibility to both bacterial and viral infections. These often prove fatal. Because a patient’s immune system is unable to deal with infections, they have to be given regular antibiotics. The only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant and, for Tia, it is vital a donor is found before she succumbs to an infection. Tia also has mycobacterium malmoense which is an opportunistic infection which is usually treated with antituberculosis drugs. However, these are of limited effectiveness. When Tia was born she was initially believed to be healthy but she ended up back in hospital three days later when she fell ill. When she was nine months old it became apparent that she was very unwell as she developed blisters and rashes all over her body. She also started to suffer from repeated bouts of salmonella which meant she was often unable to eat properly so she became underweight. It was about a year before doctors were finally able to establish the cause of her problems. Tia and her parents lives in Worcester and have spent months in and out of hospital. The little girl underwent a blood transfusion before she was two and doctors have tried various combinations of medicine to make her better. For months, Tia had to go to the hospital at 7am and 11pm every day to receive vital drugs and nurses visit her home daily at 11am and 3pm to help care for her. Tia's mother has also undergone training to administer antibiotics to the little girl at home. Tia is also fed through an intravenous tube each night. Anthony Nolan, which manages the bone marrow register, is urging people to sign up as donors, especially those of South East Asian and mixed-Asian heritage. Henny Braund, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: ‘Tia's situation is so difficult that it's hard to hear about. ‘But it is precisely this kind of circumstance that Anthony Nolan was set up to help with. Over the last 40 years we have seen thousands of caring, selfless people put their names on the register and thousands of lives have been saved as a result. Tia has to take a lot of antibiotics to prevent her developing infections and has to be fed through a tube . ‘Now it is vital that we get the message out, especially to the South East Asian community, so that we can find a match for Tia as soon as possible. Please help however you can.’ Every year in the UK, around 1,800 people in the UK need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. This is usually their last chance of survival. White northern Europeans have a 90 per cent chance of finding a suitable bone marrow donor but this falls to 40 per cent for people from black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. Some 90 per cent of donations take place during an outpatient appointment that is similar to donating blood. To join the bone marrow register visit www.anthonynolan.org . Tia also has a dedicated Facebook page.
Tia Pugh has a genetic immune condition called STAT1 deficiency .
This means she is very susceptible to viral and bacterial infections .
She also has tuberculosis-like illness - and needs bone marrow transplant .
Without one, she is at risk of succumbing to an infection and dying .
Her parents are urging people to sign up to the bone marrow register .
By . Emma Innes . A three-year-old girl with a unique combination of illnesses desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life, doctors have said. Tia Pugh, who loves Peppa Pig and the Muppets, has an extremely rare form of immune deficiency called STAT1 deficiency. Medics have also discovered she has a tuberculosis-like illness called mycobacterium malmoense. They believe she may be the only person in the world to suffer both illnesses at the same time. Tia Pugh is thought to be the only person in the world with a rare immune deficiency, called STAT1 deficiency, and a tuberculosis-like illness, called mycobacterium malmoense . After months of hospital treatment and numerous tests, doctors now say her only chance of cure is a bone marrow transplant. Tia's father, Nick, is from Worcester and her mother, Yupa, is Thai with Cambodian heritage. This relatively rare ethnic mix means finding a genetic match for Tia could prove extremely difficult. Mr Pugh said: ‘Tia is our darling little daughter and it is heartbreaking to watch her suffer like this. ‘Now that the doctors have identified what's wrong we can at last get moving on finding a cure. ‘But we have to be quick, and that cure is out of our hands until we can find a match. ‘All I can say to the people out . there is please help us however you can, by signing up to the register . or setting up a recruitment event in your area. ‘Think . how you would feel if it was your daughter, or your son, and you needed . a stranger to help them survive. Childhood is supposed to be full of . fun and joy, and that's all we want for our Tia. Tia (pictured with her parents, Nick and Yupa) will be hard to find a bone marrow donor for because she is of unusual ethnic heritage - her father is from Worcester and her mother is Thai with Cambodian heritage . ‘Please help us help her, by signing up to the bone marrow register.’ Tia was born in April 2011 with STAT1 deficiency but her illness only became apparent in February 2013 when she was very slow to recover from a salmonella infection. STAT1 deficiency is a genetic condition which is passed down through families. For a child to be born with it, both of their parents have to be carriers of the condition. Tia was born with STAT1 deficiency . but her illness only became apparent in February 2013 when she was very . slow to recover from a salmonella infection. STAT1 deficiency is a genetic condition which is passed down through families. For a child to be born with it, both of their parents have to be carriers of the condition. It is characterised by susceptibility to both bacterial and viral infections. These often prove fatal. Because a patient’s immune system is unable to deal with infections, they have to be given regular antibiotics. The . only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant and, for Tia, it is . vital a donor is found before she succumbs to an infection. Tia also has mycobacterium malmoense which is an opportunistic infection which is usually treated with antituberculosis drugs. However, these are of limited effectiveness. It is characterised by susceptibility to both bacterial and viral infections. These often prove fatal. Because a patient’s immune system is unable to deal with infections, they have to be given regular antibiotics. The only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant and, for Tia, it is vital a donor is found before she succumbs to an infection. Tia also has mycobacterium malmoense which is an opportunistic infection which is usually treated with antituberculosis drugs. However, these are of limited effectiveness. When Tia was born she was initially believed to be healthy but she ended up back in hospital three days later when she fell ill. When she was nine months old it became apparent that she was very unwell as she developed blisters and rashes all over her body. She also started to suffer from repeated bouts of salmonella which meant she was often unable to eat properly so she became underweight. It was about a year before doctors were finally able to establish the cause of her problems. Tia and her parents lives in Worcester and have spent months in and out of hospital. The little girl underwent a blood transfusion before she was two and doctors have tried various combinations of medicine to make her better. For months, Tia had to go to the hospital at 7am and 11pm every day to receive vital drugs and nurses visit her home daily at 11am and 3pm to help care for her. Tia's mother has also undergone training to administer antibiotics to the little girl at home. Tia is also fed through an intravenous tube each night. Anthony Nolan, which manages the bone marrow register, is urging people to sign up as donors, especially those of South East Asian and mixed-Asian heritage. Henny Braund, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: ‘Tia's situation is so difficult that it's hard to hear about. ‘But it is precisely this kind of circumstance that Anthony Nolan was set up to help with. Over the last 40 years we have seen thousands of caring, selfless people put their names on the register and thousands of lives have been saved as a result. Tia has to take a lot of antibiotics to prevent her developing infections and has to be fed through a tube . ‘Now it is vital that we get the message out, especially to the South East Asian community, so that we can find a match for Tia as soon as possible. Please help however you can.’ Every year in the UK, around 1,800 people in the UK need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. This is usually their last chance of survival. White northern Europeans have a 90 per cent chance of finding a suitable bone marrow donor but this falls to 40 per cent for people from black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. Some 90 per cent of donations take place during an outpatient appointment that is similar to donating blood. To join the bone marrow register visit www.anthonynolan.org . Tia also has a dedicated Facebook page.
a bone marrow transplant to save her life, immune deficiency called STAT1 deficiency. Medics deficiency, and a tuberculosis-like illness, her, by signing up to the bone marrow register.’ to both bacterial and viral infections. These she succumbs to an infection. Tia also has marrow register, is urging people to sign up as