A distraught couple are hoping a cure can be found for a rare disease that has struck down their three-year-old daughter.

Little Tillie Burley is one of only four children a year born in the UK with Diamond Blackfan Anaemia - a little-known affliction which affects the production of red blood cells.

The disease, which has no known cure, has meant constant trips to the hospital for Tillie and her parents, Lisa and Billy Burley, whose uncle, Terry Daly, runs the Old Grey Mare, in Clifton, York.

A close friend of the family, Flaxton tour guide Keith Mulhearn, recently completed an 18-hour tennis marathon which looks to have raised nearly £3,000 for research into the disease.

"Billy told me about his daughter and I just wanted to help raise money, and awareness," said Keith.

"He is a good friend and she is a lovely girl. Billy is a York lad at heart and I want people in the area to know what is happening to his daughter and help find a cure."

Although Tillie escaped the physical abnormalities that are associated with the disease, such as cleft palates or double-jointed thumbs, her condition leaves her parents in constant fear for her survival.

"After a traumatic birth, Tillie was very pale and refused feeds," said Lisa, a 32-year-old jeweller.

"It was very quickly apparent there was something wrong.

"It is a frustrating and upsetting time with regular visits to the hospital for blood tests and transfusions."

Tillie has been on steroids since a bone marrow biopsy at four weeks old revealed she was carrying the disease, though her older sister Daisy, seven, escaped illness.

"On the whole, it makes you a much more protective parent as everyday childhood illnesses such as chicken pox can cause a very real threat," continued Lisa.

"And she nearly always has a cold, which she always struggles to shake off," added father Billy, a 32-year-old bodyguard and former doorman at the Roman Bath pub in St Sampson's Square, York.

The money raised by Keith is going towards research into the disease, giving the family hope for the future.

* Anyone interested in making a donation or finding out more about the disease should contact Jason or Michelle at the Diamond Blackfan Anaemia Support Group on 01869 369836.