Peering at the article on the computer screen I felt a familiar rush of tears. As a health visitor, I knew it was a priority to remain on top of medical research but this latest news about drug treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) sufferers hit a nerve.
It was June 2023 and I had just finished reading a feature about how a leading combination drug was now helping ease lung damage for those living with advanced CF. Average life expectancy for people with CF used to be around 30 to 40 years, but with new drug breakthroughs like this, it may have improved to 70.
It was, of course, wonderful news and would change the life of millions of sufferers worldwide. But not for my one-year-old son Oliver, who was diagnosed with CF in June 2022 when he was just three weeks old.
I’ll never forget the moment my husband Harvey and I found out. Oliver had been given all the usual blood tests when he was five days old and the midwife told us that if something was wrong we’d be contacted. Harvey and I forgot all about it, lost in our little newborn bubble, but then I received a voicemail on 1 June from Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, asking me to bring Oliver in to discuss his blood tests.
By the time Harvey and I saw the consultant I had worked myself up into such a state that I was sure they were going to tell me our son was going to die. Yet I was thoroughly unprepared for the news they did have.
‘Oliver has cystic fibrosis,’ the consultant explained.
Denne historien er fra August 07, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
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Denne historien er fra August 07, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FAST & THRIFTY DINNERS
Filling family meals to save you time and money
ARE VIRAL FITNESS TRENDS WORTH THE HYPE?
Keen to know if the workouts she sees online can actually make her fitter, Rachel Tompkins, 44, gives them a try
GO OUT OF SEASON
While some European cities seem to go into hibernation over winter, others just get better in the colder months
MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Monica Cafferky, 55, reveals how certain tunes bring back special memories
THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
After trying diets without success, Breanne Concannon, 31, was left feeling hopeless
MY TOY ΒΟΥ KEEPS ME YOUNG
For Trish Hughes, 44, the thrills of being married to a man 20 years younger is worth all the judgement
'THAT'S NOT MY BABY'
Lying in the hospital bed, my husband Michael had tears of happiness in his eyes as he showed me a photo on his phone. 'Here she is,' he said proudly. 'This is our beautiful baby girl.'I stared at the photo and shook my head. 'No, that's not my baby,' I said. 'There must be a mistake.'It was August 2010 and I'd not long before had an emergency caesarean. I'd not had a chance to see Winnie when she arrived as she'd been whisked away for tests because she was nearly two months premature.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Hayley, 45, has her son to thank for crucial evidence
'I'D LOVE TO DO EASTENDERS'
Loose Women's Linda Robson on the daytime show, dating and her next career move
Beckhams INSIDE THEIR PROPERTY EMPIRE
We take a look at the power couple's posh pads
