Latest / Tom's Hirschsprung's Podcast / Episode 52 - With Gemma Boggs
Transcript
- 0:05Speaker 1: You are listening to Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast, where I provide
- 0:08Speaker 1: a look into the remarkable experiences of the most inspiring
- 0:11Speaker 1: people around Hirshprung's disease and sports. Hello and welcome to
- 0:40Speaker 1: episode fifty two of Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast. We've now officially
- 0:46Speaker 1: been going a year, one year into the podcast, and
- 0:49Speaker 1: I'm delighted to welcome to our one year show. Gemma.
- 0:54Speaker 1: Welcome to the podcast.
- 0:55Speaker 2: Gemma, Hi, Hi, don't thank you for having me. I'm
- 0:58Speaker 2: excited to be here.
- 0:59Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming on. Absolute pleasure to
- 1:02Speaker 1: have you and to make the year long episode of
- 1:05Speaker 1: Hirshbrung's one is all the better. Now we're here to
- 1:10Speaker 1: talk about your daughter, Dorothy. It was diagnosed with Hirshbrung's disease.
- 1:17Speaker 1: Would you like to take me back as where I
- 1:19Speaker 1: usually start at the beginning? Would you like to take
- 1:23Speaker 1: us back to the start of Dorothy's journey?
- 1:27Speaker 2: Yes, sure, So Dorothy was born September twenty eighteen. Pregnancy
- 1:34Speaker 2: was all okay, the difference so I've got an older
- 1:39Speaker 2: child as well as son who's ten, and throughout the
- 1:43Speaker 2: pregnancy was fine, but she didn't move as much as him.
- 1:46Speaker 2: And I don't know if that's you know, you look
- 1:48Speaker 2: back on things, but she definitely, like I went in
- 1:50Speaker 2: for a few extra scans, etc. So she was definitely
- 1:53Speaker 2: very very still. But apart from that, everything fine. She
- 2:00Speaker 2: was born elective cesarean, so again that all went fine.
- 2:05Speaker 2: Thursday morning, presented with a beautiful baby girl, how you know,
- 2:09Speaker 2: all lovely. So she was born in Bath hospital because
- 2:13Speaker 2: we lived in warm Minister at the time. And then
- 2:17Speaker 2: I remember we went up to the room again. She
- 2:21Speaker 2: was fine, but she just slept. She just slept. She
- 2:25Speaker 2: didn't she didn't cry, she didn't do anything. She also
- 2:30Speaker 2: wasn't interested in feeding. Tried a few times, I breast fed,
- 2:34Speaker 2: she just wasn't interested. But we thought, me and my husband, well,
- 2:39Speaker 2: maybe this is a cesarean child. My first one wasn't.
- 2:42Speaker 2: Maybe this is a difference with a cesarean baby. We
- 2:45Speaker 2: didn't know exactly, you know, you just don't know these things.
- 2:49Speaker 2: So that first Thursday, she slept, she didn't really eat.
- 2:55Speaker 2: They even came I think that evening. They bought the
- 2:57Speaker 2: lactation specialists around try and get her fit to feed.
- 3:02Speaker 2: She was sick a few times, but they weren't too
- 3:05Speaker 2: concerned because it was like a yellow color. And then
- 3:11Speaker 2: Friday came still the same, still hadn't really fed. Now
- 3:16Speaker 2: she hadn't passed her mconium the issue we had, so
- 3:22Speaker 2: they tried to discharge us that morning. It actually got
- 3:26Speaker 2: missed that she hadn't passed in mconium.
- 3:29Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 3:30Speaker 2: So the only reason we managed to stay is because
- 3:32Speaker 2: I said I'd had caesarean and I'm not ready to
- 3:34Speaker 2: go home. So it was quite a scary start, to
- 3:40Speaker 2: be honest, because of that. So I managed to push
- 3:45Speaker 2: them to let us stay for another night, and I'm
- 3:48Speaker 2: so thankful we did because my mum and dad were
- 3:53Speaker 2: visiting that evening on Friday, and I will never forget.
- 3:57Speaker 2: I was lying in the bed, my mum was holding Dorothy,
- 4:01Speaker 2: you know, meeting her granddaughter, and suddenly green vial projectile
- 4:08Speaker 2: out of her. So James ran out to go and
- 4:11Speaker 2: get one of the midwives. They came in, went and
- 4:16Speaker 2: picked went and got another midwife. She came in. They
- 4:19Speaker 2: called down bass got a NICKQ down below, so they
- 4:23Speaker 2: called down to doctor the nick you. She came running up,
- 4:27Speaker 2: looked at that and went, oh, that's that's not right.
- 4:29Speaker 2: That's not the right color. And there's some things that
- 4:33Speaker 2: stick in your head throughout this. There were some moments
- 4:36Speaker 2: that you I don't think I'll ever forget. And she
- 4:39Speaker 2: turned to the midwife and said, oh, she's she's passed
- 4:43Speaker 2: a maconium, and the midwife looked at them, went me
- 4:46Speaker 2: and changed both at the same time, went no. And
- 4:49Speaker 2: the face of that midwife I'll never you know, it
- 4:52Speaker 2: still chills me to this day because I think she
- 4:54Speaker 2: then realized like, this is something really wrong here. So
- 5:00Speaker 2: then the next bit's a bit of a blur because
- 5:02Speaker 2: it all happened so quickly. She got transported straight down
- 5:07Speaker 2: to the NICK queue, plugged into the machine, you know,
- 5:11Speaker 2: into the incubator all that. They put a tube into
- 5:14Speaker 2: her and started syringing the bile out, suptioning the bile
- 5:19Speaker 2: that way, and there was just so much of that.
- 5:23Speaker 2: They you know, did one emptied it and another one.
- 5:27Speaker 2: So I managed to walk down to the nick queue,
- 5:33Speaker 2: still not knowing what was going on. You know, nothing
- 5:35Speaker 2: could be mentioned why this is happening. So we still
- 5:38Speaker 2: didn't know why Dorothy was puking at the screen. They
- 5:42Speaker 2: said it was an avocado color. Then that was the
- 5:48Speaker 2: first time they said, oh, something could be wrong with her,
- 5:51Speaker 2: as in, this isn't right. So this was the first
- 5:53Speaker 2: time we went, Okay, she's not just sleepy, she's not
- 5:55Speaker 2: just not feeding because she's there a sterian baby. Obviously
- 5:58Speaker 2: we now though that's not nothing to do with it.
- 6:01Speaker 2: Something's wrong with her. Obviously your mind just goes what's
- 6:08Speaker 2: going on. We didn't know what to think. They then
- 6:12Speaker 2: discussed with us what they were doing. So they were
- 6:15Speaker 2: taking this spile out of her, and obviously now they
- 6:18Speaker 2: realized that she hadn't passed and peconium. They said it's
- 6:21Speaker 2: a blockage, and they said it could be Hirchbruns. And
- 6:26Speaker 2: it was mentioned to us then, and it was because
- 6:28Speaker 2: one of the nurses and I can't remember the connection,
- 6:32Speaker 2: but she either had a family member or knew of
- 6:36Speaker 2: somebody who had Hirsbrun's. So because of that, it was
- 6:39Speaker 2: then mentioned to us quite early on in the process.
- 6:43Speaker 2: Of course, never heard of it before, didn't know what
- 6:46Speaker 2: it was. I didn't know if it was serious, if
- 6:48Speaker 2: it was not, you know, didn't know. But they did
- 6:52Speaker 2: say to us, it's probably just a blockage. Don't worry,
- 6:55Speaker 2: it's just a blockage. So that's what you cling onto.
- 6:58Speaker 1: It's presently just a blockage.
- 7:00Speaker 2: She'll be fine. And so they took some X rays.
- 7:03Speaker 2: They brought in the X ray machine, wheeled it over,
- 7:07Speaker 2: took an X ray and they sent them off to
- 7:08Speaker 2: Bristol because that's the closest a children's hospital. But they said,
- 7:12Speaker 2: we'll wait and then you're there going, come on, do something.
- 7:16Speaker 2: What's going on? And they're kind of you know, they
- 7:18Speaker 2: were fabulous the bath that you were absolutely wonderful once
- 7:24Speaker 2: she calmed down and they've managed to get to get
- 7:26Speaker 2: her to a place where they were happy. They even
- 7:29Speaker 2: got her out and they put her on me so
- 7:31Speaker 2: I could cuddle her, you know, because so they didn't
- 7:34Speaker 2: have to stay in this machine. That Friday night, they said, well,
- 7:38Speaker 2: you need to go back up and try and get
- 7:40Speaker 2: some sleep. Me and my husband didn't want to leave her.
- 7:43Speaker 2: So they wheeled out this iPad on a stick on
- 7:48Speaker 2: wheels with a camera that they then put up against
- 7:53Speaker 2: her incubator and whatever it's called. Sorry, I'm not very
- 7:57Speaker 2: good with the technical land.
- 7:58Speaker 1: Yeah it gives they sound well, right, And.
- 8:01Speaker 2: So we took that back up and had it by
- 8:03Speaker 2: our bed. I'm not sure we got any more sleep.
- 8:06Speaker 2: Than we would, but you know, they try. It's these
- 8:10Speaker 2: things that they try to do to ease it. So
- 8:14Speaker 2: Saturday morning we went back down with her. They'd heard
- 8:17Speaker 2: back from Bristol and they made the decision, Yes, she
- 8:21Speaker 2: needs to go for further testing because nothing she's still
- 8:24Speaker 2: on past anything, and she was still they were still
- 8:26Speaker 2: having to get this bile out of her, and she
- 8:29Speaker 2: still obviously wasn't feeding or anything. So twelve o'clock the
- 8:32Speaker 2: ambulance arrived. James had to move the car and obviously
- 8:37Speaker 2: I couldn't drive, having a stairys and again something they said, Well,
- 8:44Speaker 2: I said, well, I'm coming in the ambulance with her,
- 8:45Speaker 2: and they said, oh, I don't think you'll be able
- 8:47Speaker 2: to get in because it's a big step. And I
- 8:49Speaker 2: turned to them and said, I'd get on a horse
- 8:51Speaker 2: if I could, if I needed to, And I think
- 8:53Speaker 2: any mum out there would agree you. Nothing would stop you.
- 8:58Speaker 2: So I did get into the ambulance, probably an ambulance.
- 9:01Speaker 2: I don't know how old it was, but I'll tell
- 9:02Speaker 2: you now it was the most uncomfortable, painful ride of
- 9:07Speaker 2: my life. Every I felt every bump. Yeah, but I
- 9:11Speaker 2: was with Dorothy, so you know, you just any parent,
- 9:14Speaker 2: you just do it, don't you. So we drove to Bristol,
- 9:20Speaker 2: walked through the A and E wheeling her through. James
- 9:24Speaker 2: was obviously still driving at this point to get there.
- 9:27Speaker 2: So we got put onto the actual children's ward. Now,
- 9:29Speaker 2: so Bristol has us Saint Michael's which is babies, and
- 9:35Speaker 2: the Children's Ward which is actually for children. Right, they
- 9:38Speaker 2: made the decision because it could have been hurts buns,
- 9:42Speaker 2: or it could have been something that needed surgery. Obviously
- 9:46Speaker 2: they didn't know at the time. The Children's ward is
- 9:48Speaker 2: equipped for that because that's where the surgery is all happened,
- 9:50Speaker 2: whereas that Michael's isn't. So they made the decision to
- 9:54Speaker 2: take us there. So we were very lucky and they
- 9:57Speaker 2: had a room free because obviously Dorothy being born, the
- 10:01Speaker 2: chance of infection and everything was high, so they did
- 10:05Speaker 2: put us into a room, but of course it was
- 10:07Speaker 2: for children, so she was on a bed. She wasn't
- 10:10Speaker 2: in a little you know, she was on this tiny
- 10:11Speaker 2: little baby but on this bed. And the nurses at
- 10:16Speaker 2: Bristol John's Hospital were fantastic. They looked after us so well.
- 10:24Speaker 2: I was entitled to food because I'd just give him birth,
- 10:27Speaker 2: but they made sure James had some two they let
- 10:32Speaker 2: him stay. We were only really meant to have one
- 10:34Speaker 2: parent in because again, if her child's older, he's still
- 10:37Speaker 2: not nice, but it's more manageable. But I was struggling
- 10:39Speaker 2: to walk. I was meant to be in a bed,
- 10:44Speaker 2: so they let him stay. He slept in a chair
- 10:46Speaker 2: for a week. But he's in the military. He's used
- 10:50Speaker 2: to that, I think. But the fact that we were
- 10:53Speaker 2: together was amazing. One thing I did forget to mention
- 10:59Speaker 2: was on the day Doreth was born, my eldest whoul
- 11:01Speaker 2: break his arm. Yeah, so he did break his arm. Unfortunately,
- 11:06Speaker 2: he was fine, but it was funny because we remember
- 11:09Speaker 2: that happened before this happened with Dorothy and me and
- 11:11Speaker 2: James like, oh, you know, that's nothing, but you know,
- 11:13Speaker 2: that's the worst thing that day. So he ended up
- 11:18Speaker 2: spending a week with my mum. So he was fine
- 11:20Speaker 2: and it was nice not having to worry about him.
- 11:22Speaker 2: He was well looked after, he was safe, so that
- 11:25Speaker 2: was a he was kept out of it, out of
- 11:28Speaker 2: the drama, out of all that because he was only
- 11:31Speaker 2: four at the time, so you know. So yeah, so
- 11:35Speaker 2: we were in Bristol, settled in. They took her for
- 11:39Speaker 2: an X ray Saturday evening where they put the solution
- 11:44Speaker 2: up to see where the blockage is and to do
- 11:48Speaker 2: the bowls. So my father in law had rushed up
- 11:51Speaker 2: from Portsmouth by then. Yeah, he got on his car
- 11:55Speaker 2: and he came up to support us, and Jans went
- 11:58Speaker 2: into the X ray. I remember sitting outside with my
- 12:01Speaker 2: father in law and this is again where it goes
- 12:04Speaker 2: a bit bumpy. So off the initial bath trying to
- 12:08Speaker 2: discharge us, there's another bump in the road, I think
- 12:12Speaker 2: because she's a girl, and there's no I'm sorry I
- 12:16Speaker 2: should say, and I'm jumping around.
- 12:17Speaker 1: Here, go for it.
- 12:18Speaker 2: There's no history of Hirsbron's in anither of our families anywhere, right,
- 12:23Speaker 2: and she's a girl, so as you know, it's a
- 12:26Speaker 2: very rare disease, and it's even rarer in females. So
- 12:29Speaker 2: I just really thought they the chances of her having
- 12:32Speaker 2: it were so so slim that they just really thought
- 12:36Speaker 2: she she didn't have it. So this doctor came out
- 12:40Speaker 2: and said, I shouldn't really tell you this, but it's
- 12:42Speaker 2: just a blockage. You're okay, She's okay. So I stood
- 12:46Speaker 2: up obviously, relief because by then we'd talk to people
- 12:49Speaker 2: like Hirschbum's. We found at what Hirchbuns was and at
- 12:52Speaker 2: the time, obviously we thought, well, we don't want that
- 12:54Speaker 2: for our daughter, you know. So when he came out
- 12:57Speaker 2: and said blockage, the relief, you know, hugged him, hugged
- 13:01Speaker 2: my father, nor we we we were just so all brilliant,
- 13:04Speaker 2: we'll be we'll be home tomorrow, you know, wonderful, we
- 13:07Speaker 2: can forget this and get on with get on with everything.
- 13:11Speaker 2: Because they said, putting this solution up for this X
- 13:13Speaker 2: ray usually then flashes flashes them out, so she did.
- 13:17Speaker 2: Then the mconium came out and a little bit came out.
- 13:21Speaker 2: So we were like, oh, brilliant. So took her back
- 13:25Speaker 2: to her room and she still just slept. Nothing changed
- 13:30Speaker 2: in her. She still wasn't interested in feeding. She still
- 13:35Speaker 2: just slept. She was very docile, didn't cry, you know,
- 13:39Speaker 2: really nothing that a bait an newborn baby does. She
- 13:41Speaker 2: just wasn't doing any of it. But because they said
- 13:46Speaker 2: it was a blockage and the radio, you know, they
- 13:48Speaker 2: looked at the X rays, they said that it's just
- 13:52Speaker 2: a blockage. They were like, no, no, she's fine. So
- 13:56Speaker 2: they then tried because she wasn't feeding, they tried to
- 13:58Speaker 2: feed her electrolytes for a bottle. Nurse came in. Now,
- 14:03Speaker 2: I've not had much experience with hospitals, luckily in my life,
- 14:08Speaker 2: so I didn't know how they work, and I didn't
- 14:10Speaker 2: realize that hospitals weren't Monday to Sunday, Monday to Friday.
- 14:16Speaker 2: So because we went on a Saturday, the staff in there,
- 14:21Speaker 2: I mean, they were still great, but the radio acor
- 14:23Speaker 2: that read the x rays wasn't, let's say, the one
- 14:27Speaker 2: who reads them from Monday to Friday. So he did
- 14:30Speaker 2: read it wrong. He made them you know, he made
- 14:31Speaker 2: a mistake. People do We don't howl any ill feeling.
- 14:35Speaker 2: These things happen. So still wasn't. So they were going
- 14:40Speaker 2: to discharge us on Tuesday. Again, So here we go
- 14:44Speaker 2: is the second time. Yes, so and again I think
- 14:50Speaker 2: you you just you got to advocate for your children.
- 14:52Speaker 2: They can't speak for themselves. You have to stand up.
- 14:54Speaker 2: And so we'd met miss McNally by then, who was
- 14:59Speaker 2: the consultant, or was the consultant at Bristol Children's Hospital.
- 15:03Speaker 2: She'd come in in pret you know. So this was
- 15:05Speaker 2: from Saturday to Tuesday she'd come in and spoke to
- 15:07Speaker 2: us when it could have been hurt Bruns and explained
- 15:11Speaker 2: it and you know, and we were told by the
- 15:14Speaker 2: nurses there and other dots. So she's the best bow
- 15:16Speaker 2: specialist from the you know, from the South. She's really good,
- 15:20Speaker 2: you know. So if it is Hirchbung, she's the best
- 15:22Speaker 2: hands and she knows what she's talking about. So we've
- 15:26Speaker 2: you know, you put your confidence in it, put faith
- 15:28Speaker 2: in them. You go, okay, they know what they're doing.
- 15:31Speaker 2: We have no idea. And so Tuesday morning she came
- 15:36Speaker 2: in with her team and said, oh, you know, ready
- 15:38Speaker 2: to discharge, Dorothy, how you're feeling? And I just said,
- 15:42Speaker 2: can I just can you just look at her one
- 15:44Speaker 2: more time piece? Because her tummy is not looking right,
- 15:48Speaker 2: you know. Her bowls obviously had expanded again, had filled
- 15:53Speaker 2: up again with the milk that I tried to give her,
- 15:55Speaker 2: with the electrolytes, etcetera that they were trying to give her.
- 15:58Speaker 2: And she pulled back the blanket and her again never
- 16:01Speaker 2: forget the face of miss Minally, you know, it's the
- 16:03Speaker 2: same faces as the midwife, and it just dropped and
- 16:06Speaker 2: she went, oh, because by that time you could see
- 16:10Speaker 2: the imprint of her bow it had, Yeah, it had
- 16:14Speaker 2: enlarged so much against her tommy that you could actually
- 16:18Speaker 2: see it slightly. Because of course she was only a
- 16:20Speaker 2: couple of days old, so it's very small. And of
- 16:24Speaker 2: course Miss Allie said, well that's not right, so took
- 16:29Speaker 2: her again. Things happened. I always think for them it's quickly.
- 16:34Speaker 2: From me and James, it wasn't quickly. I mean every
- 16:38Speaker 2: time a nurse comes in, have you got the results?
- 16:40Speaker 2: Have you heard something? And they're like no, but you
- 16:42Speaker 2: know so because of course they've got other patients and things.
- 16:45Speaker 2: But when you're focus as that one child, you want
- 16:48Speaker 2: answers straight away. So they started doing this, you know,
- 16:54Speaker 2: getting rid of the bile again out of her. They
- 16:58Speaker 2: then I can't remember. But if they started doing washouts,
- 17:01Speaker 2: then I honestly can't remember. It's all a bit, you know,
- 17:04Speaker 2: it all gets a bit blurred together, bearing in mind
- 17:08Speaker 2: giving birth a few days before, very hurt. When I coughed,
- 17:12Speaker 2: you know, it was I was having to express milk.
- 17:17Speaker 2: You know. My mum ran out and got a hand
- 17:21Speaker 2: pump for me because they were electric pump because at
- 17:23Speaker 2: the hospital wasn't very good because we weren't in the
- 17:25Speaker 2: baby's ward, so it was all a bit you know,
- 17:28Speaker 2: all these things are happening as well. So they then
- 17:34Speaker 2: because they weren't glad was it, because they were going
- 17:36Speaker 2: to do a biopsy on the Monday, but they canceled
- 17:39Speaker 2: it because they said it was a blockage. So then
- 17:44Speaker 2: they scheduled another biopsy in and I think they scheduled
- 17:48Speaker 2: that in on the Wednesday. So this was of course
- 17:51Speaker 2: again you say on the next day, but it's a
- 17:53Speaker 2: long time when your baby is poorly, even twenty four
- 17:57Speaker 2: hours is a long time to work. So they did
- 18:02Speaker 2: the biopsy Wednesday morning, and I think by then we
- 18:06Speaker 2: were hoping it was Hirsbruns. We knew it wasn't just
- 18:10Speaker 2: a blockage. We knew there was something more going on.
- 18:16Speaker 2: And I think if it wasn't Hirsbruns, what was it?
- 18:20Speaker 2: You know, they'd have to do more tests, more things
- 18:24Speaker 2: to find out. And I just think by them we
- 18:25Speaker 2: were actually It's weird because obviously two days earlier we
- 18:28Speaker 2: were hoping anything but Hirsbruns, and now, yeah, our mindset
- 18:34Speaker 2: had definitely changed, I think by then. So they did
- 18:37Speaker 2: the biopsy on Wednesday, and then Friday they walked in
- 18:41Speaker 2: and confirmed perch bruns and I think, yeah, it was weird,
- 18:45Speaker 2: but it was a relief. It was a relief to get.
- 18:50Speaker 1: Yeah, I was aboud to say, was that was that?
- 18:52Speaker 2: Then?
- 18:52Speaker 1: A relief at that point from going from oh, I
- 18:55Speaker 1: really hope it's not to them, well at least we
- 18:58Speaker 1: know what it is.
- 19:00Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, exactly it was. It's a really weird mindset
- 19:03Speaker 2: to go through, to be so oh it can't you know,
- 19:07Speaker 2: it can't be that just and then actually to have
- 19:09Speaker 2: a diagnosis because then you know they can do something,
- 19:13Speaker 2: they could help her. You know, they know what they're doing.
- 19:17Speaker 2: So then, like I said, I can't remember if they
- 19:19Speaker 2: were doing washouts previously, but they definitely were then and
- 19:23Speaker 2: I mean her tummy went right down. She then started feeding.
- 19:31Speaker 2: I do remember, yes, So I think it was them
- 19:33Speaker 2: because they did the washout. She started feeding, she started crying,
- 19:36Speaker 2: she started all these things that babies are meant to do.
- 19:40Speaker 2: She was doing. So they then spoke to us about
- 19:46Speaker 2: obviously all the things that's going to entail what her
- 19:50Speaker 2: drums is. We were obviously googling or we can. I mean,
- 19:54Speaker 2: there's there's there's stuff out there, but it's it's hard
- 19:57Speaker 2: to find. Sometimes you know, there's not that much on
- 20:00Speaker 2: hers bruns, so you don't for someone new that's never
- 20:05Speaker 2: heard of it before, it's it's hard to find what
- 20:07Speaker 2: you're looking for. And also the internet can be that
- 20:10Speaker 2: kind of place where it is what you're looking at factual.
- 20:16Speaker 2: So we obviously knew more about it and what it
- 20:19Speaker 2: was going to be. So then they said to us,
- 20:23Speaker 2: we're going to operate on her as a baby. They
- 20:25Speaker 2: can operate on babies now, which they said is still
- 20:27Speaker 2: quite new and in the scheme of surgeries because they
- 20:32Speaker 2: used to do it on three two three, wait till
- 20:35Speaker 2: they're a bit older, a bit stronger. So Dorothee she
- 20:40Speaker 2: wasn't the first by any means, but they were still
- 20:42Speaker 2: quite a new procedure on babies, which we were all
- 20:46Speaker 2: four because if she if they waited till she was three,
- 20:49Speaker 2: it would have been another surgery stone attached and then
- 20:53Speaker 2: you know she was a bit older. So they said,
- 20:56Speaker 2: are you happy to do the washouts? We said, brilliant.
- 20:59Speaker 2: They said, because you can do the washouts, you can
- 21:01Speaker 2: take a home the two months and then she can
- 21:04Speaker 2: have the surgery in two months. We said, brilliant, and
- 21:07Speaker 2: it's another thing. I mean, the nurses said to us.
- 21:10Speaker 2: You know, a few years ago the washouts were only
- 21:13Speaker 2: performed by doctors. Then they were only performed by nurses,
- 21:19Speaker 2: so the parents weren't allowed to do them, so you
- 21:21Speaker 2: had to stay so well, you know, a few years
- 21:23Speaker 2: ago we would have had I say, a few years ago.
- 21:24Speaker 2: She's six now, so I mean a few years ago
- 21:26Speaker 2: before Dorothy was born. Yeah, we Wolady had to stay
- 21:29Speaker 2: in hospital for those two months because or go in
- 21:33Speaker 2: the morning, come back, go in the evening, which we
- 21:37Speaker 2: lived an hour an hour and a half in Bristol
- 21:39Speaker 2: at the time, so that wouldn't have been feasible. So
- 21:41Speaker 2: the fact that we could do the washouts at home
- 21:44Speaker 2: was amazing, you know, all these things that you look
- 21:46Speaker 2: back and go, gosh, thank goodness for that because it
- 21:49Speaker 2: made it so much more manageable and such and nice.
- 21:53Speaker 2: We know, we go and be with our son. He
- 21:55Speaker 2: came and gave it dorothyan hospital, you know, which is love.
- 22:01Speaker 2: So we ended up taking a home on the Saturday,
- 22:06Speaker 2: so she was in hospital from the Thursday to the
- 22:10Speaker 2: following Saturday. Went home with all the gear. Uh, you know,
- 22:14Speaker 2: did we have to then? Obviously have all the saline,
- 22:16Speaker 2: the tubes, the syren, all that stuff with the wash out,
- 22:21Speaker 2: and but we were home, and I think that was
- 22:26Speaker 2: a big thing as well. That was a big relief.
- 22:28Speaker 2: We were home, We were a family again. And obviously
- 22:31Speaker 2: it wasn't the first you know, the first two months
- 22:34Speaker 2: with her, she had a wash out in the morning
- 22:38Speaker 2: and a wash out in the evening, and they worked
- 22:40Speaker 2: for her and again her tummy would I mean, I've
- 22:43Speaker 2: got photos of her tummy before wash out and then
- 22:46Speaker 2: you know after wash out. It's definitely a two person job.
- 22:51Speaker 2: So I'm so thankful my husband was there with me
- 22:53Speaker 2: and we could do it together. And in fact it
- 22:55Speaker 2: became a three person job because THEO would stand at
- 22:57Speaker 2: the at Dorothy's head and make her gig and la,
- 23:00Speaker 2: you know, and entertain her and so that was lovely.
- 23:04Speaker 2: So then operation was scheduled for twenty second of November,
- 23:12Speaker 2: so back up to Bristol. They obviously explained to us
- 23:17Speaker 2: that they don't know, like was all hirch One's cases,
- 23:19Speaker 2: how much of her bow will be removed until they
- 23:23Speaker 2: go in. It was keyhole. So she actually had the
- 23:28Speaker 2: suave procedure the pool through. So we took her in.
- 23:35Speaker 2: We were on the ward then, so we went in
- 23:38Speaker 2: on the on the twenty second and went into the
- 23:42Speaker 2: operation and we were advised to go away from the hospital.
- 23:45Speaker 2: We advised to leave and not sit there. And Dowell,
- 23:49Speaker 2: because obviously it's a long operation, I sy test and
- 23:54Speaker 2: come back. I mean, it's incredible to me that they
- 23:56Speaker 2: can do this on such a small, small hang, still
- 24:00Speaker 2: so tiny, and then the whole time we were we
- 24:06Speaker 2: went out, we went into Bristol, we got some lunch,
- 24:10Speaker 2: but we were obviously waiting for the phone, really wishing
- 24:13Speaker 2: the phone wasn't going to win, because we knew if
- 24:15Speaker 2: it did, it would be then saying it's longer than
- 24:19Speaker 2: we thought, we've had to remove it all or because
- 24:21Speaker 2: that was still a possibility. You just don't know till
- 24:24Speaker 2: they're in there as it transfires. She was extremely lucky
- 24:30Speaker 2: and she had short segment, so she had I've got
- 24:35Speaker 2: it written down here how much it was. In the end,
- 24:37Speaker 2: it was twenty one point six centimeters removed, so she
- 24:42Speaker 2: had like her main bit was about twelve centimeters. Then
- 24:48Speaker 2: she had their transition zone and then they take a
- 24:51Speaker 2: little bit of healthy bell just to really make sure
- 24:55Speaker 2: they've got it all, So that was another relief. That
- 24:58Speaker 2: was enough. Other you know, this was the last kind
- 25:03Speaker 2: of unknown, and that's pale. You know. I think with hirsprungs,
- 25:08Speaker 2: a lot of it is unknown.
- 25:09Speaker 1: Every case still is. I mean even after I was
- 25:12Speaker 1: speaking to a doctor the other day and she's worked
- 25:16Speaker 1: in hir sprungs for years, and she was saying, you know,
- 25:19Speaker 1: there's still so much we don't know now, so yeah, oh,
- 25:23Speaker 1: you're absolutely right.
- 25:24Speaker 2: Yeah, it's and each case is so unique, which is
- 25:27Speaker 2: something we didn't really you know again after research and
- 25:30Speaker 2: what works one child doesn't work for another? What were
- 25:33Speaker 2: you know? And then used every Yeah, so unique that
- 25:37Speaker 2: you can't really base. Oh well that worked for them.
- 25:40Speaker 2: So hence going if the operation, they don't even know
- 25:42Speaker 2: how much bower they have to remove until they get
- 25:44Speaker 2: in there, which is is really scary. So she got
- 25:47Speaker 2: a slight temperature after that, but that was fine, so
- 25:51Speaker 2: we actually went home. She was in the hospital for
- 25:54Speaker 2: two nights, went home the next day. So the washouts
- 25:58Speaker 2: then stopped and we had to do dilation. So because
- 26:04Speaker 2: of the surgery, to stop the the scar tissue closing
- 26:09Speaker 2: in as it healed, we had to dilater with this
- 26:13Speaker 2: metal bar, and that was the point where I had
- 26:19Speaker 2: to bow out because I couldn't handle that. That was my,
- 26:27Speaker 2: I think, limit of what I could do. So, you know,
- 26:30Speaker 2: thankfully my husband could do it, and I'd still it's,
- 26:34Speaker 2: you know, one of those things I look back up
- 26:36Speaker 2: and I wasn't there to help him through that, but
- 26:39Speaker 2: I couldn't. Yeah, I think it was just it was
- 26:44Speaker 2: just my limit. I just couldn't do that. But he
- 26:47Speaker 2: did and he obviously had to, and we were obviously
- 26:50Speaker 2: having frequentent visits with Bristol Miss McNally checking everything was okay.
- 26:57Speaker 2: They increased the diameter of the the bar to do thatch.
- 27:02Speaker 2: She had to do that for quite a few months,
- 27:04Speaker 2: stop it healing, but always going okay, always fine. She was,
- 27:10Speaker 2: she was doing really well. She was doing better than me.
- 27:13Speaker 2: If I put that I struggled that first year of
- 27:16Speaker 2: her life. I really did not so much because of
- 27:20Speaker 2: the Hirschbrungs. I think everything that happens and then they're
- 27:25Speaker 2: not knowing.
- 27:26Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that makes absolute sense. And I think that's
- 27:30Speaker 1: something when I talk to a lot of parents, something
- 27:35Speaker 1: that sometimes gets brought up, sometimes that gets missed, the
- 27:40Speaker 1: toll it takes on the mothers and fathers. I think
- 27:46Speaker 1: some hospitals are very aware of it. Some are sort
- 27:50Speaker 1: of solely focused on the child. And I can understand that.
- 27:52Speaker 1: I can totally understand that. But that makes a lot
- 27:56Speaker 1: of sense to me that actually what you went through
- 27:59Speaker 1: and and you've explained that really really well, but it
- 28:02Speaker 1: was only what was it, five days? I mean that
- 28:05Speaker 1: all of the things you went through in less than
- 28:08Speaker 1: a week is more than a lot of people go
- 28:11Speaker 1: through in their entire lifetime, you know. And I think
- 28:15Speaker 1: the fact that also the fact that you recognize, actually,
- 28:18Speaker 1: this has taken an awful lot on me is really
- 28:21Speaker 1: good in terms of self awareness as well, because I think, yeah,
- 28:25Speaker 1: that dad is an awful lot to go through.
- 28:27Speaker 2: Yeah, it was. It was a lot, I think, And yeah,
- 28:31Speaker 2: so it was that was difficult. And I couldn't have
- 28:34Speaker 2: spoken to you about this six years ago, five years ago,
- 28:38Speaker 2: I didn't really speak to anybody about it. I shut
- 28:40Speaker 2: it away in a way, you know. Priority was Dorothy.
- 28:43Speaker 2: Of course, then obviously the big thing I think in
- 28:48Speaker 2: our heads was the entercolitis risk. Was you know, she
- 28:52Speaker 2: was young, her immune system wasn't developed, and I really
- 28:58Speaker 2: built it up in my head that that was it.
- 29:00Speaker 2: She was going to spend her life kind of you know,
- 29:02Speaker 2: in cotton wall and not be able to do anything,
- 29:05Speaker 2: and this is going to ruin her life. And it
- 29:07Speaker 2: was you know, I really did get to that place.
- 29:11Speaker 2: And then unfortunately, on December twenty second, she did get
- 29:16Speaker 2: taken into hospital. From the most she was fine everything.
- 29:22Speaker 2: She didn't have a temperature or anything like that, but
- 29:23Speaker 2: you know, they tell you the signs to look out for,
- 29:26Speaker 2: and her wind that she passed was the most foul
- 29:30Speaker 2: smelling thing we have ever experienced. And again we were
- 29:33Speaker 2: a bit like well, but it was. It was awful,
- 29:37Speaker 2: but because she didn't have a temperature or anything else,
- 29:39Speaker 2: we were a bit. But the team at Bristol are
- 29:42Speaker 2: great and that we had the aligned to the STOA
- 29:44Speaker 2: nurses even though Jonathan didn't have a stoma, their bowl specialist,
- 29:48Speaker 2: Claire and Hillary and they've helped us out in those
- 29:51Speaker 2: early days. They were always on the end of the
- 29:53Speaker 2: phone so they were placed to go. You know, no question,
- 29:57Speaker 2: too small, nothing was an issue. But they told her
- 30:01Speaker 2: to bring her in and she did. She got put
- 30:04Speaker 2: on the between this drip and all and all that
- 30:08Speaker 2: to get it through. So unfortunately she spent her first
- 30:10Speaker 2: Christmas in hospital, but she doesn't remember any of it.
- 30:16Speaker 1: You know.
- 30:17Speaker 2: I think this is the thing we take back that
- 30:19Speaker 2: because it was so young, she doesn't remember. She's got
- 30:23Speaker 2: her magic tummy, she says, the doctor's fixed her magic tummy.
- 30:27Speaker 2: She's very proud because again it was all you know,
- 30:30Speaker 2: through keyhole. So she's only got two little scars on
- 30:35Speaker 2: her tummy. I did ask her about Hirchbruns and I said,
- 30:38Speaker 2: you know, I said to her, because I told her
- 30:41Speaker 2: I was speaking to you. She was very excited about that,
- 30:43Speaker 2: and I think she's proud. She's proud of it, you know, yeah,
- 30:47Speaker 2: she is. We celebrate every time. So she started pouring,
- 30:52Speaker 2: probably well just before one. I think she's in diping
- 30:58Speaker 2: nappy still and I remember sending my husband a video
- 31:02Speaker 2: and I was like, she's perd. I remember opening up
- 31:04Speaker 2: nap and I was like, she's poved. My gosh, like
- 31:06Speaker 2: I've never been so excited in her life. She was
- 31:09Speaker 2: must have been January February time, so she had the
- 31:11Speaker 2: operation of November. It took her a while to to
- 31:14Speaker 2: start hollering, but yes, so so happy. And from that
- 31:19Speaker 2: when she was potty training, she put on the toilet.
- 31:21Speaker 2: We'd all celebrate, we had a little song, we'd sing.
- 31:25Speaker 2: You know, our neighbors must have thought we were a
- 31:27Speaker 2: barmy exactly. And unless the thing I remember, she went
- 31:31Speaker 2: to nursery and she went to the toilet there, and
- 31:34Speaker 2: she came back she said, no one celebrated. No, I'm stamped.
- 31:39Speaker 2: Well I know only that she had done for on
- 31:41Speaker 2: the toilet. But you know, I think each male said,
- 31:44Speaker 2: each time she's growing bigger, she's she's she's, she's absolutely incredible.
- 31:49Speaker 2: We're really lucky. She said, no more instances of entin
- 31:51Speaker 2: lighters where we've had to take it to hospital, and
- 31:55Speaker 2: there's all these milestone I think she hits that you
- 31:58Speaker 2: just breathe a little bit more and you relax a
- 32:00Speaker 2: little bit more. The first time she had a temperature,
- 32:04Speaker 2: the first time she had diarrhea, and she didn't need
- 32:06Speaker 2: you know, and she actually just dealt with it, Yeah,
- 32:10Speaker 2: with cowpol and you know that. Oh good, Okay, So
- 32:14Speaker 2: every time she gets temperature, we're not going to have
- 32:16Speaker 2: to rush off. So but yeah, so I did ask
- 32:21Speaker 2: about the heirs wrong, sorry, and I said, you know,
- 32:23Speaker 2: do you wish she didn't have it? She said no,
- 32:25Speaker 2: And I said, oh, why not. Well, I like being
- 32:27Speaker 2: special and she said sometimes, you know, sometimes I do
- 32:31Speaker 2: and sometimes I don't. But it doesn't And she's like,
- 32:34Speaker 2: it doesn't change anything for me, you know, And I
- 32:36Speaker 2: think because she was born with it, and also it's
- 32:39Speaker 2: like diagnosed as a baby. To her, it's just it's
- 32:43Speaker 2: just her. And I hope because again you just don't
- 32:49Speaker 2: know things and change. But at the moment, she's doing
- 32:52Speaker 2: fantastically and I really hope that that continues. But I
- 32:56Speaker 2: know that she will tackle anything that comes to her.
- 33:01Speaker 2: But yeah, so it was. It was a very roller
- 33:03Speaker 2: coaster her story.
- 33:05Speaker 1: Yeah, no, absolutely, And thank you so much for sharing
- 33:09Speaker 1: because lots of great little details in there, and it's
- 33:12Speaker 1: just sort of listening to that and sort of relating
- 33:15Speaker 1: it to either stories that I've heard before or my
- 33:19Speaker 1: own story as well. There's a couple of bits that
- 33:21Speaker 1: that really stood out for me, one of which was
- 33:24Speaker 1: the advocacy. And I think I have enormous respect for doctors, nurses,
- 33:34Speaker 1: people in the medical profession have enormous respect that. I mean,
- 33:37Speaker 1: God knows, you know, my life has been saved so
- 33:39Speaker 1: many times by them. But I still think, you know,
- 33:44Speaker 1: mother's instinct is something you know, you can't quite put
- 33:47Speaker 1: your finger on it. Yeah, But at the same time,
- 33:51Speaker 1: I think it is so so important. And you know,
- 33:54Speaker 1: people who know my story know that, you know that
- 33:57Speaker 1: happened to me as well. Yeah, my mum advocated for me.
- 34:01Speaker 1: She knew something was wrong and she called the doctor
- 34:04Speaker 1: out on Easter Monday, who didn't really want to come
- 34:06Speaker 1: out because he wanted a day off, but he had to.
- 34:11Speaker 1: And I just think, I think that's so so important
- 34:15Speaker 1: that you go actually deep down, I think I think
- 34:19Speaker 1: something's not quite right, and you know, people will tell you, yeah,
- 34:23Speaker 1: it was fine, worry like you said, just the blockage,
- 34:26Speaker 1: you know, And I think that's so so important to
- 34:30Speaker 1: go actually I'm concerned here. I want I want to
- 34:35Speaker 1: make sure that one hundred percent and so yeah, I
- 34:39Speaker 1: think that's that's huge.
- 34:41Speaker 2: But the other thing we found was was interesting was
- 34:46Speaker 2: not all doctors know what Hirsbunds is. You know, it's
- 34:49Speaker 2: so rare. That really surprised us. So when we went
- 34:52Speaker 2: up to our surgery, so, like I said, we were
- 34:54Speaker 2: at Warminster at the time, so it was a military
- 34:56Speaker 2: doctor is my husband's military and doctor to top of
- 35:00Speaker 2: them there, she was fantastic she went off, She researched
- 35:03Speaker 2: about it. She would ring me, say how's Dorothy. When
- 35:06Speaker 2: she did her first poo, she shouted down the phone.
- 35:11Speaker 2: The health visitors came to see me here at home.
- 35:14Speaker 2: I didn't have to go to them, you know. The
- 35:16Speaker 2: support from the medical profession they were, there's been, you know,
- 35:21Speaker 2: but overall they've been absolutely fantastic. And even Bath hospital
- 35:26Speaker 2: we spoke to them about what had happened. They came.
- 35:30Speaker 2: Midwife came to our house. Chief midwife came to my house.
- 35:33Speaker 2: We spoke about what happened, and she rang me a
- 35:35Speaker 2: week later and said, we've now put this into place,
- 35:37Speaker 2: we're changing this. It wasn't me and James wasn't more
- 35:41Speaker 2: about we were complaining and wanted to get people in trouble.
- 35:43Speaker 2: That was our attention. It was more we don't want
- 35:47Speaker 2: this to happen again, you know, for someone else, because
- 35:51Speaker 2: it would have been much smoother for us if in
- 35:53Speaker 2: that first twenty four hours they'd gone, oh she's not
- 35:55Speaker 2: passing theconium, let's monitor and let's do this, and it
- 35:58Speaker 2: would have been a much less panicked transition. But they so,
- 36:04Speaker 2: they were incredible, you know, So everyone has been people. Yeah,
- 36:07Speaker 2: it surprises me that they said, you know, we are
- 36:09Speaker 2: still staying with Bristol even though we've moved we now
- 36:11Speaker 2: live in Surrey, because they know Hirsbruns all right. They
- 36:16Speaker 2: know Dorothy, but they know Hirsbruns. So we will always
- 36:19Speaker 2: stay with them as long as we can, because we
- 36:24Speaker 2: don't want to go somewhere where they don't know what
- 36:26Speaker 2: Hirchbuns is.
- 36:27Speaker 1: No, And I think that's also you know, I understand
- 36:32Speaker 1: that not every doctor and nurse can know every single
- 36:35Speaker 1: thing about every single condition, you know, especially as we
- 36:39Speaker 1: know the one in five thousand, the super rare ones
- 36:42Speaker 1: that you know that we are that can't know everything
- 36:46Speaker 1: about everything. So the find that when the way researched
- 36:50Speaker 1: said right, could be this, could be that, et cetera
- 36:53Speaker 1: is excellent. So yeah, I don't don't blame anybody for
- 36:57Speaker 1: not knowing a hundred percent of everything. But I think
- 37:01Speaker 1: as well, you touched on one thing there when you
- 37:05Speaker 1: said that you're very happy to tell Dorothy's story now,
- 37:09Speaker 1: but you know five and a half years ago or
- 37:12Speaker 1: five years ago was an absolute no no. But I
- 37:16Speaker 1: have huge respect for anybody at any time who wants
- 37:21Speaker 1: to come on and share whether it be their child story,
- 37:23Speaker 1: whether it be their own story or siblings story of Hirshprunks,
- 37:27Speaker 1: because I just I think it's fantastic. And I've mentioned
- 37:31Speaker 1: before it took me thirty one years to share my own,
- 37:34Speaker 1: so you are many many years ahead of me, So
- 37:40Speaker 1: I have I have enormous respect for anyone who comes
- 37:44Speaker 1: on and it's it's a fascinating story as well, because
- 37:48Speaker 1: as you said, no, I know, we'll move on in
- 37:52Speaker 1: a second, but you said that with Dorothy was sort
- 37:57Speaker 1: of that first few years. Obviously with the most it's difficult,
- 38:00Speaker 1: like for a lot of people. And how is Dorothy now?
- 38:06Speaker 2: She's she's absolutely thriving. She's absolutely sorry. She's just a
- 38:10Speaker 2: typical six year old child. She loves school play, she
- 38:14Speaker 2: does gymnastics, rainbows, she you know, she did rugby last year.
- 38:19Speaker 2: She it doesn't stop her like she doesn't because she
- 38:23Speaker 2: doesn't know that it could, you know. And we've never
- 38:26Speaker 2: we've never made it a negative and it doesn't have
- 38:28Speaker 2: to be a negative at all. Hirch phones doesn't stop
- 38:32Speaker 2: people doing anything. And I do appreciate though that we
- 38:36Speaker 2: or she and we have been extremely lucky with her
- 38:39Speaker 2: hirch Bunks because I do appreciate that there are people
- 38:43Speaker 2: out there that haven't had it so lucky.
- 38:45Speaker 1: You know.
- 38:45Speaker 2: I was listening to one episode where she did go
- 38:49Speaker 2: in and she did get that phone call to say
- 38:51Speaker 2: it's the whole bow, you know, and that took me
- 38:53Speaker 2: right back to the feeling. So I know we've been
- 38:57Speaker 2: extremely lucky. But I also feel like because no now
- 39:01Speaker 2: operating on her as a baby, her immune system had
- 39:04Speaker 2: that chance to grow normally like it should have, which
- 39:11Speaker 2: maybe you know, didn't operate till three or four would
- 39:14Speaker 2: it would have been maybe a bit a bit weaker.
- 39:16Speaker 2: So I think with the advances and all the surg calls,
- 39:19Speaker 2: the advances and all that, it's definitely helping.
- 39:22Speaker 1: Absolutely definitely. And you mentioned there about yeah, feeling very lucky.
- 39:29Speaker 1: Not a lot of people who have a rare condition
- 39:30Speaker 1: do feel very lucky something. Why was it me? Why
- 39:34Speaker 1: was it not the other four nine hundred and ninety
- 39:37Speaker 1: nine people. But I love that outlook, And that was
- 39:40Speaker 1: another reason why I really wanted you on the show,
- 39:42Speaker 1: was that do you have this positive outlook and this
- 39:47Speaker 1: kind of like yes, Dorothy has hirshbrungs. Yes, been through
- 39:52Speaker 1: all sorts. As we've mentioned, but like you said, she
- 39:54Speaker 1: plays rugby, you know, and you would some people might
- 40:00Speaker 1: sit down and go rugby, you know, but.
- 40:03Speaker 2: I would have six five years ago. I mean, I
- 40:07Speaker 2: took her to her first baby class and I was petrified,
- 40:10Speaker 2: but I did it. And she, you know, has a
- 40:14Speaker 2: look back since. So yeah, I get it. And like
- 40:17Speaker 2: I say, when she got the diagnosis, I couldn't see
- 40:19Speaker 2: her even go to school. I was go homeschooling, was
- 40:22Speaker 2: going through you know, all the how do I protect her?
- 40:26Speaker 2: But actually, like I say, because she had the operation,
- 40:30Speaker 2: so yng, she doesn't know any and you know, all
- 40:32Speaker 2: those things she had, prodding and poking and all these
- 40:35Speaker 2: horrible things, people putting fingers where you don't want fingers
- 40:38Speaker 2: being put she doesn't remember any of it. It's not
- 40:42Speaker 2: a memory for her. So her to her hurtchbums is
- 40:44Speaker 2: just something she has. It's just a part of her.
- 40:48Speaker 2: Like she's got two hands, you know, it's not anything different.
- 40:52Speaker 2: But she also knows that she's very special, and she is.
- 40:57Speaker 2: She's she's rare. She's got her magic tummy and like
- 40:59Speaker 2: I said, that's what she calls it, her magic tummy.
- 41:01Speaker 2: The doctor's fixed.
- 41:03Speaker 1: I love that. I love I love that praise of magic, Tommy.
- 41:07Speaker 1: I think that's that's absolutely fantastic and like we, like
- 41:09Speaker 1: you said before, it turned it into a positive and
- 41:14Speaker 1: I think that's fantastic and it kind of it speaks
- 41:18Speaker 1: to the positive attitude that you seemingly all have, which
- 41:21Speaker 1: I think is is amazing. And just as we'd sort
- 41:26Speaker 1: of wrapped towards the end here in terms of future
- 41:31Speaker 1: for Dorothy, I know she said get a really really
- 41:34Speaker 1: well at the moment, what does she want to be
- 41:36Speaker 1: when she grows up?
- 41:38Speaker 2: At the moment, she's really into horses, so anything to
- 41:42Speaker 2: do with horses. I think it just changed. But I
- 41:45Speaker 2: just I'm really positive now that she can do anything.
- 41:50Speaker 2: Like I say, if i'd spoken to you five years ago,
- 41:53Speaker 2: it would have been a different answer. But speaking now,
- 41:59Speaker 2: I'm really happy with how she's getting on. And I
- 42:01Speaker 2: do say lucky because we are lucky. She Yeah, she's
- 42:04Speaker 2: got hirsbrunds, but it could have been a lot worse.
- 42:09Speaker 2: And I know people have stonmas and I know they
- 42:11Speaker 2: can extremely well with stovers, and again a STMA doesn't
- 42:14Speaker 2: stop you doing anything, and stoner's not anything to be
- 42:17Speaker 2: ashamed of at all. But I am very grateful that
- 42:21Speaker 2: she didn't have to go down that road. It just
- 42:23Speaker 2: made it easier for us because me and James I
- 42:26Speaker 2: don't know anything about that. So I mean, one the
- 42:31Speaker 2: one question I think we'll always have is why she
- 42:33Speaker 2: got it. Yeah, because because there's no there's no history,
- 42:40Speaker 2: and if you were going to play the you know,
- 42:42Speaker 2: the game, it should have been my son because he's
- 42:44Speaker 2: a boy. Do you know what I mean?
- 42:45Speaker 1: Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, It's like you said previously, with
- 42:49Speaker 1: so many questions and going, well, it can't be Hirshbrungs
- 42:52Speaker 1: because she's a girl.
- 42:54Speaker 2: Just said to us in the hospital, she's a girl.
- 42:57Speaker 2: It won't be Hirsbruns. You know, one in the family's
- 43:00Speaker 2: go it.
- 43:01Speaker 1: Yeah. It's one thing that fascinates me is genetics, because
- 43:06Speaker 1: I mean I speak to people who it runs through
- 43:09Speaker 1: their family. I speak to people like myself. I mean,
- 43:11Speaker 1: I don't have any history of it at all, you know,
- 43:14Speaker 1: and I going back centuries, nobody had Hirschbrugs. But then
- 43:19Speaker 1: some people it runs through the family. And I still
- 43:23Speaker 1: don't really think there's a satisfactory adds sower that I
- 43:26Speaker 1: can give or anybody else can give you.
- 43:28Speaker 2: No, And I think that's another one of those the
- 43:29Speaker 2: Hirschmun's mysteries, isn't it It's why does it happen? I mean, again,
- 43:33Speaker 2: I speak for myself as the mum. I struggled a
- 43:37Speaker 2: lot in the early days of did I do something?
- 43:40Speaker 1: You know.
- 43:41Speaker 2: During the pregnancy, because they say it it forms quite quickly,
- 43:46Speaker 2: so you do you go down that road, you know,
- 43:48Speaker 2: what did I do? Did I do something? Did I
- 43:51Speaker 2: But I now know no, it wasn't anything I did,
- 43:54Speaker 2: but again it was it was definitely something I battled
- 43:59Speaker 2: with in those early days and it's taken. My husband
- 44:03Speaker 2: has supported me through this and he's always said no,
- 44:05Speaker 2: you know, he's no, it's nothing you did. So but
- 44:08Speaker 2: sometimes you need to figure that out your sat. But yeah,
- 44:12Speaker 2: we're fantastic support family friends. You know, they were always
- 44:16Speaker 2: asking how she is. They were always supportive in the
- 44:19Speaker 2: early days there when we needed them, So we are
- 44:24Speaker 2: really Yeah. I know you said it's funny to say lucky,
- 44:27Speaker 2: but she is one of the lucky ones in that respect.
- 44:31Speaker 1: Fantastic. Thank you ever so much for sharing Dorothy's story
- 44:36Speaker 1: and coming on the show. Just lastly, you know, if
- 44:39Speaker 1: people want to keep up to sday with with how
- 44:40Speaker 1: Dorothy's doing. I know you share on your Instagram. Where
- 44:45Speaker 1: can people find you?
- 44:46Speaker 2: So, yeah, I am on Instagram. I think it's Jem
- 44:49Speaker 2: Underscore bogs g e M Underscore Boggs and I used
- 44:55Speaker 2: to share a lot. I don't share so much anymore
- 44:57Speaker 2: because she's obviously a little bit older. Yeah, but we
- 45:01Speaker 2: still do do things. And I'm you know, I have
- 45:04Speaker 2: a few followers and I follow people that we've met
- 45:07Speaker 2: through Hirsbrungs and only through Hirschbrungs, and it's really a
- 45:10Speaker 2: nice community I think to be part of. So really
- 45:13Speaker 2: really happy to be on here, Tom, And I'm so
- 45:15Speaker 2: glad of what you're doing because spreading the message of
- 45:18Speaker 2: Hirchbrungs is wonderful.
- 45:20Speaker 1: That's my pleasure. Thank you so much for coming on.
- 45:23Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you for listening to the podcast. Find
- 45:30Speaker 1: us on Instagram, Tom's Underscore Hirshbrungs Underscore Podcast. Listen to
- 45:35Speaker 1: previous episodes on Spotify by searching Tom's Hirshbrungs Podcast.