LITTLE Peter Tickle is the picture of health and happiness but a piece of his human jigsaw is missing, casting doubt over his future.

The lively five-year-old suffers from a rare chromosome disorder with his condition so unusual that doctors have no idea what lies ahead for the Greenmount youngster.

Parents Andrew and Fiona, of Dunedin Road, were told the devastating news by a consultant following months of rigorous tests including brain and body scans.

Andrew said: "After the tests, we realised that something was amiss when we were called to see the chief paediatrician who also had with him a local health visitor and a chief nurse.

"He told us in a matter-of-fact manner, that wasn't exactly heartless but very unemotional, that our son had a rare chromosome disorder.

"We didn't understand at first, but were told that it was a genetic deletion on one of his chromosomes.

"Basically, a piece of his human jigsaw is missing.

"The consultant told us that they didn't have a crystal ball and had no idea how this would affect Peter or his future." No one knows why Peter was born with part of his chromosomes missing. To all outside appearances, he is a normal, healthy boy described as a "loving son" by his parents.

But the chromosome deficiency causes learning delays and Peter has a mental age two years behind his physical age.

But child development workers and physiotherapists at Fairfield Hospital have helped Peter to literally rebuild his life.

Andrew said: "They have put in place the building blocks for his development, helping him to walk and carry out physical movements.They have really helped to bring Peter on and we have been so grateful for the facilities in Bury.

"I know from ringing other parents up and down the country that these services are not always available."

The teaching staff at Millwood Special School in Bury have also been praised for their patience and skill, teaching Peter to say a few sentences.

"The teachers and staff have been brilliant, and he's made a lot of friends there," Andrew enthused.

Peter was just 32 weeks old when his mum and dad, who also have two girls, Isobel (7) and Sophie (11), noticed that he wasn't doing all the normal things that babies of his age did.

Andrew said: "Peter failed to do everything on the score card at the standard test by health visitors. My wife and I were very concerned and insisted on further tests. But the health visitor said that we'd have to wait a month.

"As parents of two healthy children, we had already started to become concerned at his slow development and I wasn't prepared to wait a month.

"I took Peter to a GP and he was brilliant. We were referred to Fairfield Hospital straight away for tests."

The whole family now receive help from other similar families who have been through the same ordeal.

"I speak with friends from all over the world," Andrew explained. "We have all been through similar experiences where the illness is so rare that doctors haven't even heard of it.

"We have some very good friends now."

Andrew feels that it is important that the families act together as one body, instead of individually, to make their voice heard.

"You have to push to make your voice heard. But that shouldn't be the case."