A LITTLE boy with a rare genetic disorder has finally returned to his Coolamon home after spending months in a Sydney hospital to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
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One-year-old Henley Carey was born with Mucopolysaccharidosis, or MPS - a disorder which affects his major organs, bones and connective tissue.
Since Early June this year, Henley has been in Westmead Children's Hospital where he underwent 10 days of chemotherapy ahead of a lifesaving bone marrow transplant donated from his three-year-old brother Darcy.
The process wasn't entirely smooth sailing, with the Carey family spending a further five weeks in Sydney after Henley's discharge from hospital for constant monitoring.
"He ended up back in hospital last week, so we weren't sure we'd be able to get home but on Tuesday, we did," Henley's mum Alicia Carey said.
"It's nice to finally be home, and be in our own environment - the boys are loving it, they've been enjoying playing outside."
The brothers arrived home this week to a surprise waiting in their backyard.
"St George Bank in Wagga actually donated this beautiful cubby house for Henley and Darcy, and they installed it for us too, so it's been amazing, we're extremely grateful," Mrs Carey said.
There's still a long road ahead for little Henley, according to Mrs Carey, but the support they have received has been invaluable.
"We have to go back to Sydney once a week still, hopefully through Little Wings when we can," she said.
"Henley will still go to the oncology treatment centre for regular blood tests and check ups, and he'll receive some treatments still."
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Since their experience, the Carey family have hopes of extending a helping hand to others in similar situations.
"We'd really like to start a charity organisation to help families like ours dealing with these rare disorders," Mrs Carey said.
"It's so hard to find the right help, especially during such a stressful time, so we want to try and make that easier, but we're trying to get our own lives back on track first."