Philippa Brunn

My name is Philippa , Moira is my mum.

It was not until I had my own children that I realised what an important job bringing up children was. There are no instructions, books or videos to watch to tell you how it is done, yet you are instantly supposed to know how to do it when it happens.

Well, I think in our family being a Mum comes naturally, but even the most together and wonderful mum could never be prepared for having a child with problems.

How do I know?

Well I have 3 wonderful beautiful girls and a wonderful caring husband and a very supportive family, but even that may not be enough when you discover your child will be dependent on you for the rest of your life, and that she may become a valuable member of society.

When I found out My Daughter Lucy had a rare chromosome disorder I was heart broken, and I could barely function. Had it not been for the support of my mum and family I may never have come out of the pit I was slowly falling into. Until Lucy was around three I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel and no amount of reassurance from the people around me would change the way I felt, but I loved my daughter so painfully that nothing even my most darkest thoughts would get in the way of trying to do everything I could do to help her develop.

Lucy will start school this year and while she will not be the same as others I feel that I have done everything I can to prepare her for what lies ahead.

In the last 5 years I have been training with Play Centre and have just started assisting supervising 4year olds, had it not been that it i was so busy with my 3 under 5, I may have done it sooner, but it has been great to take my time.

The reason I agreed to become a trust rep was stemmed from the sheer dedication for Mum to change the way things are so others did not have to suffer the way she and my family did all those years with John.

John is one of the most amazing individuals, and has changed a lot all from the hard work and dedication from himself to make things better and for mum and the family. As a sibling, it is hard to watch your family turned upside down and inside out, but, I believe that with support and a listening ear and some practical strategies that work, most families will be able to deal with the things life dishes out to them.

But you can't do it alone, believe me I tried, It took a long time to let people in and help me, but it is the first step to a better tomorrow.

Our children are not dumb or stupid they are not even different they are just the same as everyone else, only they don't take the simple things for granted.