As he cuddles his beautiful baby grandson , David Suchet looks every inch the proud grandfather . But behind the smiles , he is battling hard to help the little boy face the future with an incurable genetic disease . Suchet , best known as the star of TV series Poirot , is fighting for better treatment for those with rare diseases and has criticised ‘ disorganisation ’ in the NHS for slowing down the process . His grandson Todd , who is about to celebrate his first birthday , has the rare condition Tuberous Sclerosis Complex . So close : David Suchet with his grandson Todd , who has the rare genetic illness Tuberous Sclerosis Complex . Those with the disease can live a full life but may develop tumours in organs such as the brain and heart and suffer from epilepsy and learning or behavioural difficulties . Suchet , 68 , revealed his grandchild was diagnosed with the condition shortly after birth . He said ‘ mismanagement in the admin side ’ of the NHS means he is not receiving treatment that could help him . Todd is the son of Suchet ’ s son Robert , a 33-year-old fitness coach . In February MPs raised concerns that slow NHS decision making was blocking patients with incurable diseases from accessing vital drugs . But now Suchet has taken up the battle to ensure his grandson can receive treatment , and is encouraging Twitter users to voice their support with the hashtag # Fight4Treatment . He explained : ‘ The condition was discovered when he was just a few weeks old when he started having fits . He had an MRI and was found to have TSC . Some people don ’ t discover it until later on in life and it can manifest itself in various different phases. ’ Speaking about medication that could help Todd , Suchet added : ‘ The drugs are available but we can ’ t get them . ‘ There are many reasons why we don ’ t have access to them but there seems to be such disorganisation and mismanagement in the admin side that it ’ s all gone pear-shaped and people are suffering. ’ The actor has become involved in fundraising for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association charity and narrated a video for its campaign . He explained : ‘ # Fight4Treatment is fighting to get drugs for rare diseases and non-rare diseases available from the NHS , to give to sufferers who would benefit . They ’ re so expensive , it ’ s almost immoral. ’ Suchet , 68 , left , and as Poirot , right , said ‘ mismanagement in the admin side ’ of the NHS means his grandson is not receiving treatment that could help him . In the video he urges people to contact their local MPs to raise the issue with the Health Secretary . He says the family try to be optimistic about his grandson ’ s prognosis , adding : ‘ It ’ s incurable , but we remain hopeful that we will find something to manage it for him. ’ In 2013 it was announced that after over 20 years of playing the Belgian detective , Suchet had decided to say goodbye to Hercule Poirot . He first took the role in 1989 , but said the character would not be reprised as every Agatha Christie book about him had been filmed . However Suchet , who is a devout Christian , will be returning to television screens tomorrow to present a documentary about St Peter . In The Footsteps Of St Peter will be aired on BBC1 on Good Friday .
David Suchet is seeking better treatment for those with genetic diseases . Score: 6