'˜The only time I get to feel like a normal mummy' brave Aylesbury tot's mum praises town swimming class

A mum whose life was turned upside down when her son was diagnosed with a life-threatening condiition has thanked an Aylesbury swimming class for giving her and her son some '˜normality'.

Little Daniel Bullen was born at Stoke Mandeville Hospital seven months ago - and was diagnosed with a condition call congenital panhypopitutarism.

This means that the hormones in Daniel’s body are created and distributed differently - meaning that for the rest of his life Daniel will need to take regular medication.

Speaking about the diagnosis his mum Jade who lives in Aylesbury with partner Rob and their little boy, said: “Basically, Daniel isn’t able to produce the key hormones which help the body to cope with illness - meaning Daniel’s body is not able to react in the proper way to illness. If not managed properly, his condition turns trivial coughs and sniffles into potentially life-threatening illnesses. All parents are concerned with their child’s safety, but out lives revolve around keeping Daniel safe.”

When Daniel was six weeks old Jade took him along to Water Babies classes at Booker Park School - and credits the pool time with giving her and Daniel a dose of much-needed normality and a chance to forget about constant medication doses and appointments.

She said: “We’ve found that swimming is a great release for us, and Daniel has really defied the odds by gaining enough strength to paddle up and down the pool with the other little ones. Our entire lives are planned around Daniel’s medication timetable. We’re lucky to have worked with an incredible team of specialists at Stoke Mandeville Hospital who have got Daniel’s condition under control, but only through a strict schedule of medication - which we have to manage and administer every few hours. The time I spend in the pool with Daniel is sometimes the only time that I feel like a normal mummy. For half an hour, it’s not about clock-watching, or getting his oral medication ready - it’s about our bonding time. “

She added: “I’m so grateful to the other parents who swim with us. They’ve been so accepting and supportive of Daniel’s condition.”

To find out about Water Babies go to www.waterbabies.co.uk/contact/bucks-and-beds

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