An 11-week-old baby from Hemel Hempstead is currently the youngest child in the UK on the waiting list for an urgent heart transplant.

William Jones has been diagnosed with a rare heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy and is currently on a ventilator at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Because of this disease, his heart muscle is thin and stretched and can no longer pump blood properly.

Parents Laura Osborne and Stuart Jones with baby William (Image: NHS Blood and Transplant)

William’s parents, Laura Osborne and Stuart Jones, are now living in hospital accommodation to be closer to their first child. They are appealing to families to think and talk about organ donation.

The baby’s only chance of survival is a heart transplant from a donor of similar size and weight.

Mrs Osborne, 35, said: “We really miss him. We had a couple of weeks at home and he was a real joy.”

“He’s funny and has these little frowns and expressions – he’s cheeky. We want him back home.”

“His heart is not working properly and he is on the patient list for an urgent heart transplant. This is the only way to save his life.

“We could wait a year, two years or more. He may not make it to the transplant, but we’re going to keep going – he needs a transplant.”

Mother Laura Osborne: We still get smiles and he is playful when he is awake. He shows us that he wants to survive (Image: NHS Blood and Transplant)

She continued, “We are terrified that his condition could worsen at any time. Our emotions are all over the place, from hope to hopelessness. We try to have a routine and live for the cuddles and playful awake times. I don’t get to hold him often and it’s heartbreaking.”

Currently, more than 7,000 people, including 250 children, are on the waiting list for organ transplants, and nearly 300 patients, including 38 children, require a heart transplant.

Mrs Osborne added: “William has a lot going against him, I don’t know if my baby will survive this or not.

“I have been registered as an organ donor for a long time, but until now I had never thought that children could donate.

“Now we depend on the family’s consent to the donation – William has no future without a heart transplant.

“I want to raise awareness for William and all the children and patients waiting.”

Angie Scales, lead nurse for children’s organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “For William and many other children waiting for a life-saving transplant, their only hope is that the parents of another child will agree to organ donation at a time of great grief and personal bereavement.

“Losing a child is incredibly tragic and difficult. Families of young organ donors tell us that they can find some comfort in knowing that their child’s donation saved a life.

“We urge parents to think and talk about organ donation for themselves and their families today. Your decision could save lives.”

For more information about donating, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register at organdonation.nhs.uk.