Parents search for a donor as twin boys Samuele and Leonardo fight the same life-threatening condition

Twin toddlers Samuele and Leonardo suffer from the same life-threatening condition, leaving their parents desperately searching for a donor who may be able to save their only children.

Samuele and Leonardo, two-year-old twin brothers, have both been diagnosed with the same life-threatening disease.

Toddler twins Samuele and Leonardo are fighting the same life-threatening condition, leaving their parents desperately searching for a donor.

The two-year-olds have hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) – a hyper-inflammatory disorder – and have been at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide for more than a month.

Their parents and The Advertiser are calling for South Australians, who need to be aged 18-35, to join the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry and help save lives like those of the beloved little boys.

“If you have the opportunity, please consider donating your bone marrow,” mum Irene Sulich said.

“It could be a lifesaver, not just for us, but for other children in need as well.”

Because of their shared genes, just one donor match is needed.

Ms Sulich that “living through this feels like living in a nightmare”.

“Every day, I wish to wake up to the sight of my boys, healthy and vibrant, running, climbing and playing like any other children their age,” she said.

Leonardo and Samuele with their mum and dad in hospital. Picture: Supplied by family

The Seaton mum, 42, said she had the same feeling when, during her pregnancy, the boys were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a condition where blood flows unequally between twins that share a placenta – which can be fatal if not treated.

“But this is worse. The situation is extremely delicate and so much is unknown,” she said.

Ms Sulich, who came to Adelaide from Trieste, Italy, with her husband in 2015, said doctors were unable to provide clear answers about the twins’ future.

“It’s an incredibly fragile time for our family,” she said.

“We’re still uncertain about what to expect, but the doctors believe that a bone-marrow transplant is necessary to cure their HLH.”

Samuele will need a bone-marrow transplant to survive HLH. Picture: Supplied by family

His twin brother Leonardo will also need a bone-marrow transplant. Picture: Supplied by family

Ms Sulich said if they could find a suitable donor, the family would have to temporarily move to Melbourne for up to six months, as the transplant can’t be done in Adelaide.

“It’s truly heartbreaking,” said Ms Sulich, a remedial therapist. “The unknown, witnessing your sons in such a terrible state, enduring immense pain, and struggling with the side effects of the heavy medications – it’s completely terrifying.

“Samuele especially is going through medical trauma. He was awake for only an hour each day for about a week and had all his medical treatments during that time.

“They both have daily pain and discomfort on their extremely swollen belly.”

The family discovered the boys had HLH after Leonardo got a high temperature, swollen lymph nodes and had difficulty breathing at night. He was diagnosed with glandular fever after several days in hospital.

When Samuele had the same symptoms and was also hospitalised and more tests were done, it was found they both had HLH.

To donate, you must be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old, register with the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) and undergo a mouth swab.

If you’d like to donate money to assist with Leonardo and Samuele’s medical costs, there’s a GoFundMe campaign here.