Dementia fate of Sanfilippo syndrome boy Jack Baird

A Sunderland family are raising money to help their two-year-old son who is facing the onset of dementia.

Jack Baird has a rare genetic disorder called Sanfilippo syndrome, which means he will not live beyond his teens.

The disease affects about one in 85,000 people and blocks the breakdown of complex sugars in the body and destroys brain cells, leaving them unable to walk, talk or swallow.

A symptom of the condition is the early onset of dementia, which is expected to affect Jack by the age of five.

His parents are trying to raise £600,000 to fund a new treatment being pioneered by scientists in Manchester.