{"id":695,"date":"2024-09-11T16:09:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T16:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/?p=695"},"modified":"2025-01-01T14:37:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T14:37:39","slug":"navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mother&#8217;s Journey with Cystic Fibrosis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our team all understands the financial burdens that come with being disabled &#8211; but in different ways.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2010, Emma\u2019s first child was born and diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis four weeks later. Being a new mum can be challenging enough, but adding on a lifetime condition can really pile on the pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here she shares her story\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oliver was born in October 2010 and after a long and difficult pregnancy, I was relieved that he had arrived happy and healthy &#8211; or so I thought. The first four weeks were a newborn blur but when I look back, the signs were already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019d had a problematic labour with an emergency C-section, blood transfusions and extra operations so I was trying to recover whilst looking after a baby. Plus as a first time mum, I wasn\u2019t certain about how many times they were to be fed or how many dirty nappies I was supposed to be changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, I now know things weren\u2019t right. Oliver was constantly feeding and screaming between feeds, and as soon as I had fed him, the poo came and he\u2019d need to be changed. We nicknamed him \u2018Sir Poos-a-lot\u201d and I was having to feed him every 2 hours. Then the call came\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image1.png\" alt=\"A young child sleeps in a hospital bed, wearing a colorful gown with cartoon characters. An oxygen mask is near their face, and a medical tube is taped to their cheek. The pillow and sheets have a toy transportation pattern.\" class=\"wp-image-696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image1.png 1440w, https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image1-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oliver in hospital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Finding Out About Cystic Fibrosis<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hospital called one morning at 9am, exactly four weeks after he was born. I\u2019d asked when they had done the heel prick test what would happen regarding the results and was told that if I hadn\u2019t heard from them after four weeks then everything was OK. Crazily, just the day before we\u2019d driven past the hospital where he was born and I actually thought, its been 4 weeks today and I\u2019ve not heard anything so everything must be OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next morning, I got the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We had to return to the hospital that afternoon and we were told that Oliver had Cystic Fibrosis. The next day, we had to return to start learning about it and how to handle his care. That was it. A new future had been mapped out and we weren\u2019t expecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Luckily, Oliver took to taking enzyme granules on top of apple puree and salt like a pro, and I got used to my arm aching in order to do his percussion physio for 15 mins twice a day. I went into routine mode to make sure everything was covered and I could cope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the midst of the emotions and the heartbreak, and grieving for a future I wasn\u2019t sure he would have (the average life expectancy at that time was 32 years old), I was introduced to filling in forms and getting benefits. Oliver was born in Australia but the process was still lengthy and filled with multiple forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Then <\/strong>H<strong>e Got Really Sick\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image2.png\" alt=\"A smiling child with a light brown hair, wearing a red hoodie and patterned sweater, holds two boxes of Orkambi tablets, a medication with Lumacaftor\/Ivacaftor for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The child appears to be sitting down.\" class=\"wp-image-697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image2.png 960w, https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image2-768x1152.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oliver with his new medication<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At around 8 months old, Oliver started coughing and working harder to breathe. I started bouncing around doctors and hospitals and being told I was overreacting and being a difficult mother. Until one day, a locum-doctor at the surgery took one look at him and said he had to go straight to hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His oxygen saturation levels had fallen to 84% and he was admitted with bronchiolitis. After a few days of treatment we were allowed home, but unfortunately because of a delayed diagnosis and treatment, damage to Oliver\u2019s new little lungs had already been done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What resulted was years of watching my son\u2019s health decline and multiple infections which damaged his lungs further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he was 18 months old, we moved to Sydney to be closer to family and a bigger hospital. I found out a few years later when we were leaving to move back to the UK, the doctors actually took a vote after his first appointment as to whether they thought they could save him or if the damage was too bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Luckily, over the next couple of years, they battled. Every weird and wacky infection, Oliver managed to pick it up. There was even one that his Professor had to google as only about nine cases of it had occurred up to that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His health kept declining and photos of the clubbing on his fingers and toes are actually being used as teaching tools somewhere as it was so severe on someone so young (it happens when the lungs are damaged). Eventually we decided to move back to the UK and start his treatment here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had a port fitted in his chest when he was five so I could do his IV antibiotics at home. It meant he could still go to school. He was so tired that he would sleep between lessons and he struggled to gain weight as eating was a challenge. His lungs were so full of mucus that he would bring up every morning and night, that it would also be swallowed into his stomach so he always felt full and sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then when he was about seven years old he had a feeding tube fitted. But still he declined until he was sent to Great Ormond Street for lung transplant assessment. By this point he was on IV antibiotics more than he wasn\u2019t and he was on maximum doses of everything, yet his lung function was only at 32-35%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image3.png\" alt=\"A cupboard filled with various medical supplies and medications. The shelves have boxes and bottles of different sizes and brands, including items like water for injection and Graniseptin. The supplies are organised but densely packed.\" class=\"wp-image-698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image3.png 1440w, https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image3-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Then a Miracle Happened<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of 2019, Oliver was approved for new medications paid for on compassionate grounds by the pharmaceutical company which saved his life. Within a week his lung function had increased from 32% to 56% and he hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was crazy! Within 12 months, he had stopped using his feeding tube and that was eventually removed completely nearly three years ago, and he went from needing IV antibiotics for three weeks every month to every six months, to every year to having not had any now for over two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oliver has just started Year 9, played cricket at a county level and even plays in the adult teams during the season. He is still short and waiting for his growth spurt and his lung function still only sits around 65% as so much damage has been done. He still has to take a pile of tablets and medications and he is being monitored closely for CF-related diabetes as he has shown signs, but at least he is still out there enjoying life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image4-1.png\" alt=\"Two cricket players, one adult and one child, walk towards a field. Both dressed in white cricket uniforms and helmets, they are seen from behind, carrying cricket bats. The background includes a grassy field, trees, and sporting equipment.\" class=\"wp-image-703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image4-1.png 960w, https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image4-1-768x1152.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Have I Learnt?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dealing with an \u201cinvisible disability\u201d has its challenges too. Whilst it&#8217;s not always obvious he has CF looking at him, the judgement I\u2019ve had over the years when he\u2019s coughed or been sick has been hard. I\u2019ve even had disapproving people comment to me about giving Oliver chocolate when he was little as I was desperately trying to get any calories into him (now everyone is jealous and a little impressed with how much he gets to eat!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, it&#8217;s getting the balance right between wanting people to treat him as more than his condition but also wanting them to understand that he won\u2019t be able to run as fast, or will get tired, or needs to leave lessons to go to the bathroom more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that it does cost so much more money than you see. I\u2019m a single parent and I\u2019ve freelanced and been able to work from home for most of my career so I can juggle caring for Oliver and his sister and earning money, but sometimes it has been impossible. When Oliver has coughed all night and been ill, to then have to manage the day is exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus he needs extra calories so my food bill is constantly climbing. And then he needs to exercise to keep his lungs healthy so sport classes, and personal trainers, and gyms all need to be paid for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throw on top travel to and from hospital, parking charges, having to miss days of work for appointments or to care for him, or reducing my hours whilst I stay in hospital. It all mounts up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On top of that, for two years after we returned to the UK, I could not claim any benefits for Oliver as I\u2019d not been in the country for 9 years. Filling in those forms is hard and time-consuming, one little human error can set you back weeks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why I\u2019m passionate about Purpl. The discounts matter, especially on top of everything else. Health is the most valuable thing we have so we battle hard to manage it but that takes time and money. Anything that helps, eases the stress, and gives something back to the community is essential &#8211; not just a nice to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.purpldiscounts.com\/blog\/reiki-meditation-disability-and-me\">Reiki, Meditation, Disability and Me<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.purpldiscounts.com\/blog\/welcome-to-holland-a-powerful-perspective-on-parenting-a-child-with-disabilities\">Welcome To Holland \u2013 A Powerful Perspective on Parenting a Child with Disabilities<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.purpldiscounts.com\/blog\/world-diabetes-day-a-lifetime-of-both-blessings-and-curses\">World Diabetes Day \u2013 A Lifetime of Both Blessings and Curses<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Purpl is always committed to helping our disabled community save money through exclusive disabled discounts as well as providing relevant and useful content<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our team all understands the financial burdens that come with being disabled &#8211; but in different ways.&nbsp; In 2010, Emma\u2019s first child was born and diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis four weeks later. Being a new mum can be challenging enough, but adding on a lifetime condition can really pile on the pressure. Here she shares [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-articles","category-community-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.4 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Mother&#039;s Journey with Cystic Fibrosis - Purpl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Mother&#039;s Journey with Cystic Fibrosis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our team all understands the financial burdens that come with being disabled &#8211; but in different ways.&nbsp; In 2010, Emma\u2019s first child was born and diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis four weeks later. Being a new mum can be challenging enough, but adding on a lifetime condition can really pile on the pressure. Here she shares [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Purpl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/purpldiscounts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-11T16:09:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-01T14:37:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image5.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@purpldiscounts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@purpldiscounts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eadaeded14062e6f106ac84aaa4bdba5\"},\"headline\":\"A Mother&#8217;s Journey with Cystic Fibrosis\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-11T16:09:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-01T14:37:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1511,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image5.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"All Articles\",\"Community Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Mother's Journey with Cystic Fibrosis - Purpl\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image5.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-11T16:09:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-01T14:37:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/navigating-the-financial-struggles-of-disability-a-mothers-journey\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image5.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wp.purpldiscounts.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Emma_Purpl_Blog_Image5.png\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"A smiling child gives two thumbs up and wears a blue sports jersey with a circular badge on the chest. 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