A YOUNG train enthusiast who is seriously ill with a genetic disorder has been granted the wish of a lifetime.

Ruari Lund returned from a trip to the National Railway Museum (NRM), in York, to find his bedroom had been fitted with his very own model railway.

The eight-year-old from Darlington suffers from DiGeorge Syndrome, which has left him unable to speak and walk and he also has difficulty eating.

Ruari also had to have a heart transplant when he was eight weeks old and the procedure was repeated last year.

It is likely he will have to have further open heart surgery as he grows.

The Make-A-Wish foundation, which helps make seriously ill children's dreams come true, heard that Ruari loved trains.

While he went to the NRM with his parents, Ian and Siobhan, the charity prepared the surprise at his home.

His bedroom was kitted out with two tracks and a Flying Scotsman locomotive.

"When we got home from the museum, he could hear the trains going. He desperately wanted to see it and when he got to his bedroom he went rigid with excitement, " said Mrs Lund.

DiGeorge Syndrome is a disorder caused by the deletion of a small piece of chromosome 22 - resulting in physical and mental abnormalities which vary between sufferers.

However, Ruari does not let his condition stop him from having fun, said his mother.

She said: "Ruari's wish was just very special because he's been through so much in his life and his model railway is something he can continue to enjoy.

"The first word he signs when he gets in from school now is train."

There are 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening illness and this year the Make-A-Wish foundation will work with 1,200 youngsters to have their wish granted.

The charity needs to raise £5.5m in 2011 to achieve this.

For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit make-a-wish.org.uk or call 01276-40-50-60.