My girl will grow old BEFORE HER TIME

A rare neurological disorder means Caryn de Nocker's daughter will develop dementia in her teens

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As my daughter Hermione, then nine, came bounding out the door of our local village hall in November 2024, she looked so pleased with herself. Wearing her brown and yellow uniform, she was holding up a new Brownie badge for me to see. Taking in the joy on her face, my eyes welled with tears. Moments like this were memories in the making and, for us, it was all too important to make as many as we could.

You see, life hasn't been easy for Hermione. After being diagnosed with a heart murmur at birth, in July 2015, from the age of 17 months, she suffered frequent seizures, with some lasting as long as two hours. At four, she was formally diagnosed with epilepsy, which was scary, but her dad, Rory, then 40, and I learnt to cope.

As Hermione got older, she was clumsy and accident-prone, her vocabulary was limited and she was eventually diagnosed with ADHD and autism.

By seven, doctors had started running genetic tests, trying to pinpoint the root cause of all Hermione's issues. It was a lengthy process but despite everything, our girl was full of fun. She was devoted to her big brother, Declan, then 11, always getting up to mischief with our Cavachon Patterdale terrier cross Milo, feeding him sneaky treats, and she'd zoom around on her scooter, earning her the nickname 'pocket rocket'.