A heartbroken couple whose first two children were born with a deadly genetic condition have now given birth to a healthy baby girl - and have called her Joy.

Delighted Anne and Mark Hollern welcomed Roxie Joy into the world last week.

She is free from a rare disease which killed her six-year-old brother Robbie last year and affects her sister Rosie, four.

Robbie and Rosie were diagnosed with infantile Batten's disease - a progressive neurodegenerative condition whose symptoms include loss of vision and mobility, and epilepsy.

But a series of tests showed that Roxie Joy was free from the disease.

Reason Dad Mark, 36, of Balloch, Dunbartonshire, said: "After Robbie passed away, we went on holiday ourselves to Cyprus.

"There were a lot of families there and we decided we were still young enough to give it another go. Up until then, we weren't going to put ourselves through even thinking about having more children.

"But we knew the day would come when it would just be me and Anne and we didn't want that."

Anne added: "After Robbie, my attitude was that when Rosie's time comes I don't think I'll be able to go on. I would have no reason to get up in the morning.

"When we decided to have another baby, we were then back to the genetics and we knew there was a one in four chance of any baby having Batten's."

Medics ran tests 10 and a half weeks into Anne's pregnancy.

She said: "When the midwife said the baby didn't have Batten's, I had to stop myself from phoning back just to double check she had given me the right result."

Just before Roxie's birth, Rosie took illand was taken to Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital.

Mark said: "She was struggling to breathe and we told the doctors to do whatever they could to give her every chance. We weren't going to give up on her.

"Luckily she got back to normal and has been fine since."

While the couple's are delighted with the newest addition to the family, Robbie is never far from their hearts.

Anne said: "We'll tell Roxie all about her big brother. Rosie is turning into his image.

"It's like seeing him all over again."

© 2009 Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd.