Parent Blog: Our son, Hudson, is our real life Angel! …by Charlene Cooper
Our son, Hudson, is our real life Angel!
Our blue eyed boy was born on 1st December 2020, eager to meet us as he came 3 weeks early.
Hudson’s big sisters, Amelia and Madison were delighted with their new role as big sisters to their new little brother, and Daddy (Paul) finally got his boy.
From the moment Hudson was born he was the happiest baby. He very rarely cried and people always commented on how beautiful his smile was with those dimples. We still get these comments to this day.
At 6 months old Hudson was showing signs of delays. For example, unable to sit unaided, issues with feeding, unable to hold anything, eye contact was non existent and he would not respond to his name.
Time went on and we knew Hudson was becoming delayed in all aspects. However as it was during Covid times it was difficult to get any appointments. We done a lot of chasing and fighting for Hudson to see a specialist. This went on for well over a year. Then Hudson got an MRI, which came back clear. He then went for bloods, they came back clear. But we knew deep down there was definitely something, so after making several more calls and chasing we were finally referred again to complete further blood tests. One week before Hudson’s 2nd birthday we discovered Hudson has a rare genetic condition called Angelman Syndrome.
At this point our life changed completely. Hudson was destined to take over daddy’s business, his future was mapped out. The life we thought we would have was no more.
We had never heard about Angelman Syndrome before. It was a really unnerving and an emotional time. We were unsure of what the future looked like. I think we went through every emotion at this point; disbelief, sadness, anger, anxious!
On Hudson’s diagnosis day we were told he may never walk, he may never talk, extremely likely to have seizures, he may have to be peg fed and will be severely delayed.
After extensive research, connecting with families far and wide in the same situation and speaking to as many specialists as possible we had a better understanding of what life looked like for Angelman’s and their families.
It’s now 2 years on from Hudson’s diagnosis and we could not be more prouder than we are of how much he has overcome and achieved. He has taught us so much. I have never met someone as determined, resilient and persistent as Hudson. This boy brings so much celebration and joy.
Hudson has proudly taking his first unassisted steps. He is not fully walking yet but doing extremely well and will get there soon enough. He has said his first word, “mum”
He can now eat everything and there’s no concern for choking. Everything Hudson achieves is a massive celebration.
By Charlene Cooper.
