A BABY girl's blood has been flown across the Atlantic to give a North-East child his one chance of survival.

Doctors launched a worldwide search for a bone marrow donor to save nine-month-old George Young, who has been given just three months to live, and they found a single match with a little girl in New York.

The frozen blood from her umbilical cord has been flown to Britain for a transplant on January 16.

George's parents, Emma Young, 26, and George Oldham, 29, are overjoyed that the transplant operation - the first of its kind in the UK and only the fourth in the world - will give him a fighting chance.

In the meantime, he must live in a sterile bubble to protect him, because even the germs from a kiss could kill him.

Ms Young, of Cruddas Park, Newcastle, said: "We know the chances of a cure are not that high, but we know George is getting the best possible care and if anyone is going to get through this, he will, because he's a fighter."

George is one of only five children in the world born with a rare immune condition, called Ipex syndrome, which means his body cannot fight infection.

It was initially thought his best chance was a transplant from his brother, Reece, but when their bone marrow didn't match doctors decided to try the next best thing - a blood cord transplant.

The blood was frozen from a little girl in the US 18 months ago and was flown into Tyneside just before Christmas.

Until George's replacement bone marrow begins to grow and a new immune system develops, he must remain in a sterile environment where the air is cleaned and pumped to keep out germs.