A MUM has vowed to fight for her brave little boy after he was diagnosed with a genetic disease that will see him slowly deteriorate.

Leo Olivacce, eight, was diagnosed with Batten Disease last Tuesday after a two year long battle to discover why he was losing his sight.

After being passed from specialist to specialist, who struggled to find out what was wrong, Leo has now been diagnosed with a disease which affects just 50 children in the UK.

His mother, Lara Olivacce, of Brain Road, Witham, said Leo's family had spared him the knowledge of the worst of Batten Disease.

She said: “The disease affects the cells in the brain.

“Each of us have cells but our cells are can clear the waste, Leo’s cells can’t so his brain cells are dying. The first thing to go is the eye sight, he could start to have seizures then it is the mobility that starts to go.

“His short term memory will go as well.

"He will know that we are his family and we love him, but we are told that the eventuality he will bed ridden and then die.

“Leo knows he is losing his eyesight and that he has Batten Disease, but he does not know what it is - we do not want him to live in fear.”

Mrs Olivacce described how Leo began having problems with his eyesight two years ago.

She said: “They did more tests and found that his retina was not reacting as it should.

“When we went back for the results, they said this is extremely rare for what they usually see.

“We had to do a blood test that was sent off to Great Ormond Street, and the results took six weeks."

Despite the shock of the severity of the diagnosis, Mrs Olivacce has taken it upon herself to raise money and awareness about it.

She is hoping to run a fun day in Witham this summer, with all proceeds going to BDFA, the UK’s charity for Batten Disease research.

Mrs Olivacce said: “I have been in a dark place for the past few days and now it is time to fight or flight; I need to fight, I need to give my life to this.

“This has become a new purpose for me, to raise money and try to fight the disease is something I am now dedicated to.

Mrs Olivacce is looking for volunteers to help with amusements and refreshments at the fun day, or any donations for a raffle.

Contact Lara by calling 07437308102 or e-mailing lara_o1987@hotmail.com