Catherine
Catherine
Hi, my name is Paula and I am the mother of a beautiful little girl called Catherine who is five years old.
Catherine was bone on the fifth of August 1995 after a 42 week pregnancy, she weighed five pound nine ounces and the delivery was not a pleasant experience as she was in distress and had a dipping heart rate.
Catherine was small but seemed fine until she was three months old and got roto virus, she was hospitalized for this and then over the next two years she suffered from reoccuring infections, mainly ears and throat.
Catherine had her tonsil removed when she was 13 months old, the surgeon was surprised as they had quinsied and ulcerated into her pallet, the surgeon said that this was very unusual in such a young child. Other operations also included grommits (ear tubes), adenoids removed, an eye straightened and then a granuloma removed after the eye surgery.
Catherine suffered from severe Otitis Media (ear infection) and she was also hospitalized for this with IV antibiotics and daily ear toilets.
June 1998 everything came to a head, Catherine suffered an infection and was very ill, we had seen our wonderful GP every day that week and then on the weekend after 5 days of antibiotics there was still no improvement and he told me to take her to his office on Monday where they would do blood tests. Catherine's tests showed that she was not making the white cells which are required for immunity. She has since been diagnosed with common variable hypogammaglobuanemia.
We were referred to a paediatrician and Catherine began taking daily antibiotics to see if this would keep her well, this was not the answer for Catherine and just after her third birthday she began having IV therapy every eight weeks. This treatment was a blood product which contains white blood cells collected from people donating blood.
Over the last two and a bit years Catherine's IV therapy has gone from every eight weeks to every three she is also now taking other medications as well. This is allowing her to live a so called normal life.
August 2000 Catherine had a port- a -Cath placed in her chest, this is a central line for her IV therapy and means that the doctors no longer have to battle for veins and then find that they are too scared to use.
Catherine's IV therapy is working well, she has grown and can go to school. We have to be very careful with Catherine and as soon as she becomes unwell take her for help, things can change very quickly for her and she can become very ill very fast.
Catherine is a very happy little girl and accepts her treatment well, she can not remember life prior to IV therapy. She does not know what life is like without needles and medication and in a way this is a blessing as she does not grieve for a healthy life like other children. It is hard as a parent though watching and knowing that there is nothing you can do to make things right or make her life normal.
Catherine is under a team of specialists who are very Supportive and helpful, we have been told that a "Future" is not a guarantee for children like Catherine, I personally refuse to live every day like it might be out last though and we are doing our very best as a family to have normality and bring Catherine up to not think of herself as "different". As she is getting older thought she herself is starting to realize that she is not like the other kids at school.
To look at Catherine you would never know that she is so medically fragile, she has the most beautiful big blue eyes, bubbly personality and a love of life, I am so grateful for this and she is my total pride and joy.
