A YORK boy with a rare illness has fulfilled a dream of meeting his footballing idols.

William Rhodes, 11, met his Liverpool FC heroes, including Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Xherdan Shaqiri, Roberto Firmino and more, when he went to the team’s training ground and had a tour of Anfield Stadium.

His dream was made possible by the Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity and the club.

William was diagnosed with a rare condition called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA) when he was just three months old.

DBA is a condition that primarily affects the bone marrow, meaning that William is not able to produce red blood cells, and he requires regular blood transfusions to keep him alive.

He currently receives a red blood cell transfusion every three weeks and has undergone nearly 180 lifesaving transfusions since birth.

After his wish, William said: “It was a dream come true to meet Mo Salah. I also met Sadio Mane who I gave a very special wristband, and I have seen him wear it on the TV, twice!

“I met Mr Klopp, which felt amazing and funny! We watched the players train – it was amazing to watch Salah play in real life. Thank you so much for making my wish possible, this would have never happened without you.”

Mum Caroline added: “To actually see William’s wish come true was absolutely unbelievable, it was a truly fantastic day and we cannot thank Rays of Sunshine and Liverpool FC enough for making it happen. We have seen William go through so much since the day he was born, life often feels so unfair for him but then to see him meeting his heroes and having such a fantastic time absolutely made our Christmas, it is a memory we will never forget.

“William was totally lost for words when his favourite player Salah walked towards him, that moment was priceless!

“William took along some of his DBA UK charity wrist bands which he gave to some of the players and he was so so happy when Mane put his on straight away. William was so happy!”

Laura Barnett, CEO of Rays of Sunshine, commented: “Every day Rays of Sunshine puts smiles on the faces of seriously ill children, just like William, and create precious family memories. We can’t be more thankful Liverpool FC for making William’s wish a reality and to all the players for giving up their time to meet him and make his wish so special. It’s clear to see from the huge smile on his face, just how much it meant to him.”

DBA has an impact on Williams’s life on a daily basis.

Caroline said: “It makes him feel terrible, and he gets extremely tired and struggles with the normal day to day activities, but he never gives up.”

William also attends many other hospital appointments for various tests and MRI scans to monitor his major organs, as they can become fatally damaged by a build-up of excess iron caused by all of the blood transfusions. He takes daily medication to remove this excess iron build up, mainly from his liver and heart.

Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity was formed in 2003 to brighten the lives of seriously ill young people and their families across the UK by granting wishes and providing ongoing support in hospital and within the community. For more information, or to apply for a wish to be granted, visit www.raysofsunshine.org.uk.