CLOSE TO HOME

Sitting down in front of the TV, I waited for Coronation Street to begin.

I’ve watched the show for as long as I can remember, only this particular episode suddenly became very close to home.

Following the soap, I knew the character of three-year-old Oliver Battersby was poorly.

However, I couldn’t believe it when suddenly he was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease.

For me, this wasn’t just a storyline on a TV programme, it was my life.

Just weeks before, in March of this year, my nine-year-old daughter Kiya, had been diagnosed with the very same disease.

Unlike Oliver who was diagnosed in just one appointment, it took us a year of pain and suffering.

Not two years ago, Kiya was an energetic child who loved horse riding and swimming.

She was a proper