IT is celebrations all round as a toddler from Highley has found a vital stem cell match after a worldwide search.

Gunner Lewis Vale was diagnosed in March with MPS Type 1, a rare genetic disorder, meaning he cannot breakdown his body’s sugars, shortening life expectancy.

After months of searching, a positive match has finally come to light from Germany- giving Gunner a higher quality of life.

Gunner's mother Holly Lewis Vale says she feels like she has waited a lifetime to receive the good news.

She said: "Last week we got told there was a potential match but we have had this scenario three times before so we were sceptical.

Kidderminster Shuttle: Gunner's family are overwhelmed with all the support they have received. Gunner's family are overwhelmed with all the support they have received.

"Then things started to progress and we were given a date for his transplant operation, which is the middle of July.

"We were thinking is this actually happening?

"Gunner will be in Birmingham Children’s Hospital for several months. We have been told the average person takes one week to break down the body's bone marrow then Gunner will have the transplant and is expected to spend 72 days post operation in hospital, depending on how his body reacts to the operation."

In May, The Shuttle reported the family's fundraising campaign, ‘GunnersGoal’, to raise money for blood cancer charities Anthony Nolan and DKMS, helping add new donors onto the stem cell register.

At the time the total raised stood at £7,000 now its total is nearly double that at over £13,000.

Holly says she is overwhelmed with the response: "We have had so much support! We were not going to tell anyone about Gunner's diagnosis but when we knew we didn't have a donor we decided to put it out there.

"So many people have held events and we are so grateful. We have tried to go to everyone's events to say thank you.

"It still blows my mind every day.

"The original target of £10,000 will be spilt between Anthony Nolan and DKMS and we are holding a testing day in Shrewsbury so more people can find donors."

Kidderminster Shuttle: A positive match has been found in Germany and the stem cell transplant it set to take place in mid July. A positive match has been found in Germany and the stem cell transplant it set to take place in mid July.

To create a legacy for the 19 month old, the family are also in the process of setting up a trust, Gunner Lewis Vale Trust, to raise funds for any adaptions in the home Gunner may need as he grows older and to work with MPS charity, MPS Society.

The family have not been told who the donor is and have no idea on the age or gender of Gunner's lifeline.

Holly added: "All we know is that they have a different blood type but the tissue is identical.

"We are going to write a letter and my daughter wants to draw a picture to send over to the donor through the charity to say thank you."

"Every day we didn't find a donor, felt like a 100 days. I feel like we have waited a lifetime."

For more information about Gunner visit the Facebook page or to donate visit their gofundme page.