Stacey

I mean it's their sort of bedside manner if you like, they're so helpful and I, when I go with Bradley, you know, they basically, they're talking to Bradley not me. I mean he's old enough to know and they ask him, "Have you got any questions? Do you want to know anything?" It's a very relaxed atmosphere when we go and as I say because we have got to know them now it's not just, I feel like we're not just a statistic if you like. They, they know us, certainly the nurse, I mean she's so good and you know, not only does she speak to me sometimes, she's spoken to Bradley before on the phone as well if ever we've got any issues and she's very kind of gentle and understanding, reassuring, they just, they care, they do care and they certainly, they do know, they know us. Sometimes when you go to a doctor it's, 'Oh we're just another patient,' but they know the history, they do remember. Of course they've got the notes in front of them but we just feel that we know them better now. I can't, I can't even, I can't fault them, I think they're fantastic really, they do look after him.

I mean of course I didn't want to see him in as much pain as what he went through at the start but I don't think I would have changed it. I think that we were quite, what's the word? We kept, not demanding but we were very, we knew there was something wrong and you just have to keep going, keep going and not sort of let it lie. We, we just knew, there's something wrong, we have to find, we just have to find what it is and we were determined to and we did. So…we were never in denial. I know some people probably think, 'Oh no it's not that, it's nothing.' We knew we were dealing with something a bit more serious than just a pulled muscle and we were just very determined really and spoke up and you know made it really clear how we felt and how we wanted to move on and made that clear with the doctors as well.

I would say that you do have to really just get on with it and not sort of think and harp on it because we've always just moved forward; we don't move backwards, we just carry on. And if we do get a flare up we'll deal with it. I think, I never expected that Bradley would be the way he is actually, I thought, you know, he's going to be limping for ever because you just do but I just think the methotrexate, it just controls it and the way I see it – we will, well the nurses at the hospital and us, we monitor. We know exactly what's going on in Bradley's body. Some parents haven't got a clue what's going in their children's bodies but I know what's going on with Bradley. I'm very on the ball when it comes to treatment, keeping his appointments, all the paperwork; I keep everything completely in order. I know every appointment date and you've just got to be positive, there's no point in, in really harping on it because you want to make it as easy for the child. You don't want to sit and talk about it all the time and talk about it with other people all the time. He just needs to be normal and I mean his friends all know the condition that he has and it makes absolutely no difference. They don't treat him any differently, they don't see him any differently and that's all that I want. I just want him to be, he's Bradley, that's it.