Young sisters with rare genetic disorder which means they will both die before the age of 12

Jane, 36, with Ashleigh (left) and Alisha Lennon, who both have a rare and deadly neurological condition. Lucy (back) is unaffected because she has a different father. Jane said every moment with her daughters was precious

A mother has spoken of her heartbreak today after her two daughters were diagnosed with a disorder which means they will die before they are teenagers.
Ashleigh Lennon, seven, and Alisha, four, are the only sisters in the country to both suffer from a deadly form of Batten's disease, which only affects one in every 300,000 births.
Although both youngsters were born healthy and well, the neurological condition means their bodies are shutting down. Ashleigh is now blind and paralysed, while Alisha is starting to suffer balance problems.
There is no cure or treatment for the disease and the skills they once mastered gradually deteriorate.
Their mother Jane, 36, said she tries to enjoy every moment with Ashleigh and Alisha.
The mother-of-three from Lancaster, said that the girls were struck by the disease because both she and their father are carriers of a faulty gene. 
Jane said: 'Lots of us are probably carriers of a faulty gene, but would probably never know it. It is only when you meet someone with the same faulty gene and have children together that it could become a problem.


Ashleigh was born in May 2003 weighing 8lb 2oz.  Everything seemed fine at first, but as she grew, it became clear she was not reaching her development milestones.
Then at the age of three, Ashleigh suddenly suffered a seizure when she was at nursery.  At first Jane thought it was a one-off, but she suffered several more over the next few days.  She was diagnosed with epilepsy and was sent for numerous tests including a skin biopsy.
In April 2008, Jane was given the devastating news that Ashleigh, then five, had Late Infantile Batten's Disease and that the disease was fatal.
She was also told there was a one-in-four chance that Alisha, who was only two at the time, would also have the disease.
Jane said: 'The consultant just had to be very blunt and tell us the facts. It was a terrible shock to be told that Ashleigh had a terminal disease.
'Alisha was sat there on my knee at the time when he told us there was a 25 per cent chance she could also have the disease.
'Six months later, she was tested and also diagnosed with it.'
Jane also has a 15-year-old daughter Lucy, but she doesn't have the disease as she has a different father