I NEARLY LOST THEM BOTH

Jo Hines, 47, experienced every mother's worst nightmare, which put life into perspective

- ANNA VERDON

As my daughter Mia holds up the pink unicorn bath bomb, I watch her beam with excitement before she drops it into the water, squealing with delight when the water around her fizzes and turns magenta. ‘Look Mummy!’ she giggles. Every moment with her and her older brother Max is special to me because just a few years ago I came close to losing both of them. It shook me and my husband David so much that our whole outlook on life flipped and prompted some huge decisions which changed everything.

For years my life resembled that of The Wolf of Wall Street. Since I was 18, my job had been on the trading floor, working my way up to head of e-product for National Australia Bank. My days were spent in a busy office, made up mainly of men, shouting, screaming and slamming down phones. It was stressful but gave me such a buzz. My career meant everything to me.

In 2012, I’d met David, an architect, through friends. We had Max in November 2015, and got married eight months later. Juggling motherhood with my career wasn’t easy. But then, in September 2017, I was back on maternity leave again, after having Mia. While I loved being a mum, I also looked forward to getting back to work. But in February 2018, life took a turn. After a day in nursery, Max didn’t seem his usual cuddly self. He’d been sick and was quite distressed. Initially I didn’t think much of it – children were always picking up bugs.

‘It’s OK Max,’ I soothed, stroking his brown hair while he sobbed. ‘Let’s get you to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning.’