
‘I’m not afraid of dying’: A mother’s harrowing journey from a family of pies
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A mother and daughter who lived together for six years in a flat in Edinburgh’s east end were reunited last week after a lengthy battle to bring her son back to them.
The family had lived in the flat for just over a year when they separated, but in October the family returned to the flat to take advantage of the holiday season.
On October 23, 2016, their son arrived back home after spending the last six months in hospital with severe breathing difficulties.
The girl had been living with her mother and her father at their flat for two years.
Her father was also a gardener, while her mother worked in the hospitality industry.
The young mother, who was not named for legal reasons, had been staying with her aunt on the same day the boy arrived home, and when he was taken to hospital they did not know one another.
The following day, their eldest daughter, 19-year-old Anna, told her mother about the illness.
She was able to get the two older sisters, who were working in the same business as her parents, to take care of the boy and she began to worry about her health.
But Anna’s father said he did not think it would take long for the girl to get better.
“He just told us to go ahead and have a drink and that it would all be okay,” she said.
Anna was able in December to get a prescription from a GP to help her with her breathing, and she has since begun to have normal life again.
“She was quite upset about being away from her mum and dad but we thought she would make a good friend,” her mother, Rosemary, said.
“And she has.”
Anna is now studying for a Masters in health promotion and was planning to go back to school to take her degree, while Rosemary and their family are now planning to start a family.
The couple said they had been working in Edinburgh for almost three years and had been lucky to find their own home after they moved in with their sister.
“We thought we would be homeless for a long time but it is great to be able to return to this beautiful city again,” Anna said.
“We feel so lucky and happy to have found this place.”
Anna and her aunt were able to come to terms with the news of their son’s illness, and they are hopeful he will be able be home soon.
“I am very relieved that he is well,” Rosemary said.