Stories
Amazing Grace
The news was bad - but then my heros stepped in
Last time I’d had a scan at Russells Hall Hospital, West Midlands, I hadn’t stopped smiling. ‘It looks like double trouble!’ the nurse said, pointing at the screen.
‘Twins?!’ I’d beamed, squeezing my hubby Stefan’s hand. ‘I can’t believe it!’ It turned out I was having a boy and a girl. Brilliant! They’d always be there for one another, the best of friends, running round together. I’d just hoped my other little one Thomas, now five, wouldn’t feel left out…
But now, two months on, the nurse wasn’t smiling as she pressed the scan wand over me.
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘I think your daughter has spina bifida,’ she said. She went on to explain the condition meant her spine wasn’t developing properly – that my little girl might never walk.
‘We won’t know how serious it is until after she’s born,’ she told me.
‘Isn’t there anything we can do?’ I sobbed, staring at the screen.
‘Some women opt for a termination…’ she said quietly.
An abortion? There was no way I could…
There hadn’t been a little girl in our family for 18 years… we’d longed for a daughter.
I refused to give up on her. We’d just have to pull together as a family to get through this. We would support each other – and my little girl would have her twin brother – what stronger bond was there than that?
For the next six months, I was racked with worry, and barely slept. Had I made the right decision? Would my daughter be able to have a normal life?
Looking at Thomas only made me worry more. ‘I’m having twins,’ he’d squeal, jumping up
and down.
Would my daughter ever be able to do that?
When I was nearly nine months pregnant my beautiful twins were born by Caesarean section.
Grace arrived first, weighing 4lb 7oz, and was rushed straight to Birmingham Children’s Hospital so doctors could repair her spine as much as possible.
Harry came into the world a few minutes later, weighing 4lb 3oz. The nurse placed him in my arms.
‘Your sister should be here with you,’ I said, swallowing back tears, as I held him close.
Grace’s operation went well, and a few days later I took Harry to visit her. As I looked into her big blue eyes, exactly the same as Harry’s, I felt an overwhelming rush of love for her.
Placing Harry on the bed next to his sister for the first time almost brought me to tears. They looked so cute.
It was as though they sensed each other. Grace wriggled closer to her brother, as if she was drawing strength from him.
Identical in every way, it was so hard to believe there was anything wrong with her, that she’d struggle so much more than her brother. At least she’d always have him.
Little Thomas was so excited about his new brother and sister. Hopefully, he’d understand that Grace was special.
Ten days later, we were all back home. Oblivious to the challenges facing his tiny sister, Thomas stared at the twins excitedly.
‘Harry is my brother, and Grace is my fairy princess,’ he said, stroking her wispy, blonde hair, and showing her the pictures in his Gruffalo book.
‘Yes, your little sister is very special,’ I told him. ‘She’s got a poorly back so you have to be very careful with her.’
‘Okay,’ he shrugged, turning back to his book. ‘She’s still my fairy princess.’
Bless him! Here I was worrying about Grace being different, about Thomas feeling left out, and yet he was taking everything in his stride.
The next day, I took him and the twins into town, and a pregnant lady stopped to admire Grace and Harry in their pram.
‘They’re gorgeous,’ she cooed.
‘How many babies have you got in there?’ Thomas demanded, pointing at the woman’s swollen tummy.
‘I’ve got twins!’ he said, proudly, before she could reply. ‘That makes my family special!’
He’d grown so protective, always referring to them as his twins!
Thomas’ bright outlook always cheered me up, but over the coming months, I couldn’t help noticing the differences beginning to show between Harry and Grace.
At six months, Harry pushed himself on to all fours and, with a little wobble, began to crawl across the carpet.
‘Well done, sweetie!’ I cried.
Tears formed in my eyes, though, as I caught sight of Grace’s little face. Confused, she whimpered quietly as her brother shuffled about on the carpet. She couldn’t do it, she was nowhere near. It broke my heart.
‘She’ll get there eventually,’ Stefan soothed, hugging me.
But the doctors still weren’t sure of the extent of her problems. What if she never caught up with her brother? I’d been looking forward to enjoying all these milestones, but they were twins – they were supposed to reach them together…
Stefan was right, though. We needed to remain positive, pull together as a family to help her.
I needn’t have worried, though, – once again Thomas was there for his little sister.
‘I want to help Gracie,’ he said, watching her struggle on the carpet one day.
‘I know’ I soothed. ‘But she…’
Before I could finish, he dashed out to the kitchen. When he returned, he was holding my plastic washing basket.
Gently, and without a word, he lifted Grace under her arms, and placed her in the basket.
‘Heave!’ he shouted, gripping hold of it, and dragging it across the living room carpet.
Grace giggled madly as her big brother whirled her around.
‘Now you can keep up with Harry,’ he said, whizzing her about.
I couldn’t help feeling guilty – here was Thomas, thinking up cute ways to help Grace, while I worried constantly about the future. It was getting us nowhere.
After that, I vowed to be strong, like Thomas. For the next two years, he was my rock. When Grace needed more surgery and came home with heavy splints on her tiny legs, Thomas took care of her, lifting her on to his lap so she could watch Peppa Pig.
And when the hospital gave her a special frame to help her learn to stand, he stood behind her for hours cheering her on.
‘Good girl, you can do it, Gracie!’ he encouraged.
Gurgling, she gripped the handles and pulled herself up.
‘Well done!’ he cried, giving her a gentle pat on the back, as she beamed at him.
Harry was on hand to help too, babbling away to his sister and never leaving her side for too long.
Now the twins’ second birthday is approaching, and we’re looking to the future.
The doctors still don’t know how bad Grace’s condition will get, but they say they’re impressed with her progress – she can already walk with the use of her frame.
No matter what happens, though, with her two special brothers to look out for her, I know she’ll be just fine.
Nicky Boyle, 32, Brierley Hill, West Midlands
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