WANT my son to come back. I want him to play, to run and do anything that he did before,?Yvette McGeehan said, holding her son Dominic tightly and kissing his forehead.

However, little Dominic cannot do anything but lie in his mother’s arms and feebly stretch his legs and arms. His big and dropsical head, disproportionate to his emaciated body, leans against his mother’s shoulder, his eyes blinking weakly.

However, a few month ago Dominic was in a worse condition. Today, to his mother’s joy, the boy’s situation has seen some improvement since he received a course of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Shanghai. His formerly stiff arms and legs have gradually relaxed and he can make some sounds with his voice, all of which is some consolation to his mother. Yet tubes are still attached to his tiny body and his feet are locked in restraints.

Dominic, an eight-year-old boy from Germany, has been in Shanghai for about a fortnight. He was taken to Huashan Hospital in the Xuhui District as soon as he arrived but he is not aware of what is happening around him.

Mrs McGeehan has been with her son all the time and feels sure that coming to China for treatment was a wise choice although she was told before she left home in Germany that it was a crazy idea.

“He is getting better in Shanghai but he has a long way to go before I can realize my hope of having 98 per cent of Dominic come back,?she said and she could not help crying as she spoke.

Unexpected damage

The McGeehans used to be a happy Scots-German family of four ?there’s also the father and Dominic’s twin sister Rebecca back in Germany.

Dominic’s troubles began last March when the family went to Cyprus to live for three years. A month later, Dominic began to suffer from headaches and developed a fever. He was taken to see the doctors but fell into a coma and was insensible for three months.

Back in Germany, Dominic surprised everybody by staging some recovery after receiving some TCM offered by a Chinese doctor Kang Shoujiang living there. When his parents saw that he was able to move a little, they considered that TCM treatment was the optimal way to save him and they decided, with the help of Kang, to send Dominic to Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital.

“Doctors said there that my son had suffered some brain damage but they were not sure about which parts were injured,?Mrs McGeehan said.

“They told me that about 98 per cent of his illness was the result of tuberculosis affecting the brain.? The McGeehans have been married for 21 years and conceiving the twins eight years ago was not easy. “I gave birth to the children after artificial fertilization and the doctor said we could never have any more babies,?41-year-old Mrs McGeehan said.

Because of Dominic’s illness, she has had to leave the good job she had in Germany for almost 25 years.

“I want him to live, but not like this,?she said.

Help from hometown

Above Dominic’s bed hangs the watercolour painting he made as a gift for his twin sister Rebecca and the letters sent to him by relatives and friends. He wears a ring on the ring finger of his right hand, a replica of the one Rebecca wears.

“I make a phone call to my husband and daughter every night despite the six hours?time difference,?she said. “Sometimes I put the phone on Dominic’s ear and let him listen to his dad and his sister.? The family plans to sell their home in Bielefeld in Germany in order to be able to afford Dominic’s treatment.

“In Germany and England, many of our friends are collecting money for Dominic in all kinds of ways,?she said. “They have even put Dominic’s picture on T-shirts to collect money for us.? Doctor Zhu, who is in charge of Dominic’s treatment in Shanghai, said the little boy’s situation was quite complicated and he is now in a state of semi-narcosis. “At present, we have offered him medical treatment which combines anti-tuberculosis measures, TCM acupuncture and massages,?Zhu said.

“We cannot yet come to a conclusion about the cause of the illness or the results of our treatments.? It will be a long time before Dominic’s treatment ends ?it may last for years ?and the chance for total recovery is slim, the doctor said. “In fact, we have seen many Chinese children before suffering from similar diseases.? Mrs McGeehan said: “Zhu is brilliant ... excellent. I trust him. All the people here are fantastic and friendly. The doctors and nurses are caring for us all the time.? Shahina Mansoorian, an Indian woman also living in Shanghai, did not expect to become a close friend of Mrs McGeehan when she first read the news about Dominic in a local newspaper last week. Now she comes to see Dominic as often as possible and tries to help him and his mother. “What I do for them is trivial,?she said. “It is amazing that life can bring people together so closely in such a short time.? Life hope

Mrs Mansoorian also brought some encouraging news for Mrs McGeehan. She had heard about some research concerning the treatment of similar cases to Dominic’s in the US.

“There is a new technique called ‘Brain Cell Cloning?which can repair injuries to the brain,?Mrs Mansoorian said. “Actually what we need most to help little Dominic is information. We hope to find out where in the world this illness can be cured and we hope anyone who knows anything about that can offer us such information.? Cloning is still controversial, but as far as Mrs. McGeehan is concerned, the most important thing is to have her child come back.

“I can risk anything for him because I know there is nothing more important than life,?she said. She will stay in Shanghai till October 20 and then fly with her son back to Germany.

“I hope I can go to the US to let Dominic receive what may be the most effective treatment,?she said. According to the doctors, the son will not be cured unless and until the brain damage is repaired. “So I have to find out what the best method is,?the mother said.

The wish she cherishes in her heart is that once again she will hear her son call her mom and then she can let him see everyone who has helped them so he can say thanks to them.

Mrs McGeehan opened one of her son’s story books ?“Snow White? She said that today Dominic is like Snow White when she lies in bed after eating the poisoned apple. “But Dominic will be like that!?she said, showing the picture where Snow White is living happily ever after with her prince.

And then the mother bent over and kissed her son.