'I remember vividly the moment the doctor told me my child was severely disabled. A thousand questions raced through my mind. Will she walk? Will she talk? Will she be able to read? To write?
"I couldn't possibly predict," said the doctor. "But you should prepare yourself for the fact she might never walk or talk." As well as worrying about milestones, I wondered if she would have friends, be invited to parties, have playdates... Would she be lonely?
Now my gorgeous daughter Annabelle is eight, I know some of the answers to my questions. Although she has curvature of the spine she can walk huge distances, but she often falls over and has muscle pain and fatigue. She can talk in simple sentences. She can't hold a conversation but she can make her wants and needs known.
And she doesn't have any friends.
MISSING OUT ON FUN
I remember being wildly excited when she came home from school saying, "Cassie, I want Cassie," over and over again. I'd never heard of Cassie before and assumed she was a new pupil at the school.
"Has she got a friend called Cassie?" I asked the teacher. "She keeps talking about her."
The teacher shook her head, "Oh yes, Annabelle loves Cassie. She's a teaching assistant. Annabelle doesn't have any friends."
And because she has no friends, Annabelle doesn't get invited to birthday parties. To me, it's this lack of inclusion, the absence of invites to celebrations and playdates that really upsets me and I'm keenly aware of the social events she misses out on.
Bu hikaye New UK dergisinin December 04, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New UK dergisinin December 04, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A TASTE OF KOREA
Quick and easy meals to bring a touch of Asia to your table
"Womb Raider' killed pregnant teen and sliced out her baby
A mother and daughter teamed up to murder
'Bodybuilding changed my life at 50'
Wife and mother Nicola Shaw had lost her identity and self-esteem until she took up weight training and started entering competitions
'My dad's even more excited than me!
Soap star Bobby Brazier is being put through his paces by his ex-footballer father as he prepares for Soccer Aid
"I want us to embrace our individuality'
Love Islander Liberty Poole celebrates her newfound confidence as she calls for urgent action on body shaming
'I'm so beside myself that I got picked
Singer and actress Alexandra Burke on her TV acting debut, family life and keeping her mum's memory alive
'I was single for nine years-I'm fussy!
Sinitta opens up about juggling romance with motherhood and shares her views on Celebrity Big Brother’s last explosive series
Dan'kept on his toes' by Jac's male admirers
Dan Osborne appears to have been put out by online attention from fans prompted by wife Jacqueline Jossa's swimwear selfies, a source tells new
It was a very sad, hard and testing time'
Made In Chelsea's Ruby Adler on raising awareness about ovarian cancer following her aunt's death from the disease
Stacey sorts out a getaway with her girlfriends
As Stacey Solomon's career continues to go from strength to strength, sources say the busy mum-of-five is desperate for a blow-out break with her pals this summer