A couple who lost both their children to rare illnesses have become foster parents to honour their son's final wishes.
Karen and Paul Ledsham, from St Helens, lost their daughter Abigail and son Harrison at the ages of one and 12 respectively.
In 2008, their daughter Abigail died just days before her second birthday from a rare genetic disease that both parents had unknowingly carried.
Karen and Paul then suffered the heartache of losing their son Harrison, aged 12, after a battle against bone cancer seven years later.
The couple decided to start fostering and said it has "given them a purpose again". The idea to become foster parents came from Harrison when his sister was unwell with Sandhoff disease, a disorder that attacks the nervous system.
Mrs Ledsham, 48, who works as a nurse, told the PA news agency: "He mentioned that when she goes to heaven could we let somebody come and live with us because, obviously, he's got nice toys he wants to share because he won't be able to share with his sister any more, and that kind of conversation was there.
"At the time we said well, it's something to think about after she died."
The couple said idea to foster then came up again when Harrison himself became ill with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, about five years later.
Harrison's illness was diagnosed when he suffered a pain in his leg, which turned out to be a fracture caused by a tumour.
Mrs Ledsham said: ""He did bring it up again, about 'it would be lovely to have children in the house.' I think sometimes he was lonely.
"After Abigail died, we did wrap him in cotton wool.
"Any time he got an ache or pain, or was ill, you have that little niggling feeling at the back of your mind - what if it's something?
"You try and carry on, and you do, but that day when we found out, it was [something]. And the world crashed down."
The couple said the desire for the family to foster children was very much in character for Harrison as he "always wanted to help people."
Mr Ledsham, 52, who works as a delivery driver, said: "He always wanted to be a doctor, he said he wanted to find a cure for the condition his sister had.
"I know everybody says this about their children, but he was the nicest boy you would ever meet."
The cancer in his bones meant Harrison ultimately had to have his leg amputated above the knee, but he went into the surgery with medical staff not knowing whether or not an amputation would be necessary.
Mr Ledsham said: "He actually came around, this was what the surgeon told us, and he thanked the theatre staff.
"He woke up and said, 'have you took my leg?' and he [the surgeon] said yes. And he said, 'well I know you did your best, thanks very much'."
In 2014, Harrison also won the Merseyrail Child of Courage Award at the Liverpool Echo Pride of Merseyside Awards.
After Harrison died, any thought of fostering was put to the back of Karen and Paul's minds.
But their interest was reignited around 18 months later when they walked past a stall in a shopping centre offering information about fostering and after discussing it together, they decided to apply. About a year later they were approved.
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Because of their circumstances, some friends and family expressed concerns about how they might cope with fostering - particularly when the children moved on.
Mrs Ledsham said: "That's something that we had to consider.
"But, we talk about this all the time, nothing is the same as our children going where they've gone.
"So we knew if we can deal with that, we knew we could deal with other children moving on and leaving our lives, as long as we've made a difference and given some happiness and some stability."
The couple are now currently fostering two siblings under the age of 10.
Mrs Ledsham said: "We feel, or felt, 'well what is the point?'
"Lots of people don't have children, but we've had them and lost them and with that we've lost our hopes and our dreams and our futures.
"So having this now, it keeps us going, keeps us busy and our minds occupied. It makes the house a home again."
Mr Ledsham said fostering is "challenging" but has brought "laughter" back into their lives and is all the more meaningful because they are honouring one of Harrison's final wishes.
He said: "We are making a difference. We know we are, we can tell the difference.
"I just hope he's proud of us for doing it, which I think he would be. And he is watching down somewhere knowing that we're doing something that he wanted."
