Waving to my daughter down the corridor, she gave me a cheery smile. It was 2014 and Babs, then 29, was a teaching assistant in the primary school where I worked as a cook – the same school she’d attended as a child. She was fabulous with the kids and it was a joy to go to work each day alongside my daughter.
Babs had always been such a bubbly, outgoing girl. She’d lived in New Zealand for a year in her early 20s, working in a restaurant on her gap year. I’d missed her terribly while she was away, but now she was living back at home with me, her dad Pete, 53, and her younger siblings Katie, then 21, and Jamie, 17.
Seeing her every day at work, I was loving making up for lost time. But, after waving to her, I watched as she started hobbling along the corridor, and her steps seemed slower and more deliberate than usual.
‘Are you feeling all right?’ I asked later that evening, as we sat drinking tea.
‘No, I’m not, actually,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’ve been a bit shaky and my joints feel stiff.’
Her GP did blood tests and referred her for further testing, but doctors couldn’t pinpoint the cause of her symptoms.
BRAIN ABNORMALITY
Meanwhile, as Babs continued having tests, she and her long-term boyfriend broke up. She was upset but, a month later, she came downstairs one morning beaming with excitement.
‘Mum, you’re not going to believe it – I’m pregnant!’ she cried, hugging me.
This story is from the May 11, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 11, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SCAMMED OUT OF THOUSANDS
When Susan realised her mum had fallen prey to cold-call fraudsters, she was too late to stop it
'I CHOSE MONEY OVER LOVE'
BS Alison Hammond on her career, love life and why she thinks she’s Beyoncé…
'I WAS IN TEARS'
Are things getting too much for Richard and Judy?
GONE IN A HEARTBEAT
Catherine Heffernan, 40, was resting after her night shift when a knock at the door changed her life forever
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the lottery, Gen Z and clumsy husbands
HOUSE OF HORRORS REVISITED
Three decades on, we take a look back at the heinous crimes of Fred and Rose West
MAGICAL MADEIRA
This North Atlantic island is the ultimate yearround destination for sunshine and flowers
WEEKNIGHT WINNERS
Jazz up family favourites with some store-cupboard magic
BODY TRANSFORMATION
Woman's Own looks at how the star has gone from being 'allergic to exercise' to showing off her abs on holiday...
HOW MUCH CLUTTER ARE YOU HOARDING?
Hoping for a bit of a reset Carol Driver, 47, decided to declutter, but it was harder than she thought