Programme one concentrates on the first year in the children's lives, when the differences between them and their peers first come to light. Emily's parents choose to go ahead with her birth, knowing that her Spina Bifida can cause paralysis and brain damage. Shelbie, the second child in her family to be born with a rare chromosome disorder Partial Trisomy 9p, struggles for every breath. Tuberous Sclerosis means William's parents are forced to decide between 60 epileptic fits a day and drastic brain surgery. Diagnosed with Down's Syndrome two weeks after he was born, Nathan's parents learn sign language to communicate with him. And Hamish's Achondroplasia, commonly known as dwarfism means his final height may be no more than four foot two.
The parents deal with the medical problems, and the mixed emotions associated with disability, but also experience the pleasures of parenthood. From the initial shock of diagnosis, the series charts the day-to-day practicalities of coping with disability within the family. The children are now approaching their second birthdays and some will face major operations; others smaller, but no less significant challenges. And as the nature of their children's disabilities become clearer, their parents are forced to make important decisions.
The roller-coaster journey of the families enters its third year. The children are now becoming aware of how different they are from their peers. And while some parents experience the joy of their children starting to walk and talk, others face the reality of major health problems and the discovery that their children's lives are likely to be very limited.
The parents come to terms with their changing lives.
The second film of this moving series follows the children from the ages of three to four.
Candid documentary about six children with a variety of disabilities.
For the last seven years, this unique and intimate series has been following six children, all born with a disability. We now revisit the children as they turn six and seven. Some of the children are now able to express in their own words what it feels like to be different from their friends: to face the prospect of painful operations or the embarrassment of wearing a nappy at school.
For the last seven years, this unique and intimate series has been following six children, all born with a disability. We revisit the children as they turn six and seven. While some children still face life-threatening conditions, others thrive: reaching, sometimes against the odds, those ordinary milestones other children their age take for granted.
At the end of the last series Zoe had just come through pioneering surgery to transplant one of her chest muscles into her arm. The programme follows her over months of physiotherapy to see whether the operation has worked. Born with spina bifida, all through primary school Emily has been happy to wear pull-up nappies. Now Emily has decided to go ahead with the major surgery that doctors have told her is the only way to regulate when she goes to the toilet. Nathan spent his primary years spent in mainstream schools, but now his parents must decide whether inclusion is still best for their son, who has Down's Syndrome. Last year Hamish and his parents moved to the South Island of New Zealand. Hamish had to leave the friends he had grown up with and adapt to a new school where his achondroplasia (or dwarfism) would not be so familiar. At school he became the centre of attention for a few weeks. But with one of New Zealand's great skiing fields on his doorstep, and with Hamish's developing indefatigability, he finds a new pursuit that makes him feel at home. And Shelbie enjoys a period of good health, before a scare leads to further tests and more treatment.
The children are now one year older, and some are striving for more independence. Zoe starts to take charge of her own future and surprises her mum by deciding whether or not to go through further surgery on her arms. As William's behaviour starts to deteriorate further, his parents begin the search for answers. Only a detailed MRI scan can reveal if he will need to go undergo brain surgery for the second time in his life. And with Shelbie continuing to require 24-hour care, seven days a week, just to keep her alive, her parents are forced to rethink the way they look after their daughter.
With all six children having reached 10, the families reflect on just how much life has changed over the past decade. Having spent a year working at building up the new muscle in her arm, Zoe finds herself back in theatre for more reconstructive surgery, but this time she has decided that it is going to be on her right arm. Having got to grips with a whole new world of procedures that will allow her to go to the toilet on her own, Emily gets the chance to reap the rewards of her operation, and goes on her first overnight school trip away without mum and dad. And after months of relative stability, Shelbie is admitted to hospital once again. The search begins to find out what is making her so unwell.
Zoe was born with arthrogryposis. A series of operations to her legs and arms have given her enough independence of movement for her to progress to a large academy school where she blossoms and even becomes an enthusiastic netball player. But by the end of her first year one foot is causing her so much pain that a further operation looks necessary. William's condition, tuberous sclerosis, has led to complex epilepsy and autism, which cause him to behave violently and erratically. He is difficult to manage and can show aggression to his devoted mother Paula and younger sister Jess. Paula has also developed MS and, as William gets bigger and stronger, she finds it increasingly hard to cope. She and her husband Nick look into a residential school for William, although she finds the idea of him leaving distressing. Shelbie was born with Trisomy 9-P, a profoundly life-limiting condition. She's be in and out of hospital all her life, and is rushed into Bristol Children's Hospital with an unexplained illness that affects her breathing, and her life hangs in the balance. Hamish was born with achondroplasia (commonly known as 'dwarfism'). Ten years ago his parents moved to the South Island of New Zealand where he has benefitted from great skiing opportunities. Hamish's new passion is swimming. He's been breaking national records and winning medals in the under-19 national championships. His ultimate dream is to swim for New Zealand at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.
William's family are reunited after his first week at a residential school more than an hour away from home. The programme reveals how the family have coped with this change. Meanwhile, Zoe's family take a short break 'to escape the doctors', before Zoe undergoes surgery to reposition her left foot so that she will continue to be able to walk. Shelbie's just recovered from a life-threatening illness, and the family enjoy quality time together camping, where Shelbie gets to enjoy her favourite activity, swimming. But a week before they go on holiday her mum Vicki receives devastating news about a condition Shelbie may have been carrying from birth, but which has gone undiagnosed. In New Zealand, Hamish goes on a boys' fishing and swimming trip with his dad Al. Nathan, who has Down syndrome, went to a mainstream primary school, but as the time arrives for him to go to secondary school, his mum Tracey and dad Richard decide to send him to a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties, where he impresses academically and blossoms socially. In the last series Emily - who was born with spina bifida - had major surgery to reconstruct her bladder and bowel. The surgery was a success and she starts secondary school in knickers rather than the pull-ups she wore for most of her primary education.
The show catches up with the six disabled children as they reach their sixteenth birthdays. William, born with tuberous sclerosis, autism and severe learning difficulties, has someone he would like us to meet - his new girlfriend.
Part two of two. The children are approaching their 16th year and being disabled is an added complication to an already anxious time for teenagers. Hamish has achondroplasia, commonly called dwarfism. After being spotted by the New Zealand para-swimming team, he has qualified to represent the country at the world championships in Glasgow, a stepping stone to the Rio Olympics. Cameras also follow Zoe, who has arthrogryposis, her friend Emily, who has spina bifida, Shelbie, who's profoundly physically and mentally disabled, and William, who has tuberous sclerosis.
Catching up with the children featured in the documentary as they enter adulthood. Zoe is moving out for the first time to start a law degree, and has opted to go it alone entirely, refusing the help of a care team while she is at university. Hamish is moving into a student house in New Zealand while training for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and William has moved to his own flat with a care team.
The second of two documentaries catching up with the individuals as they tackle the reality of leaving home and going it alone. Emily is working the hospital wards as part of her course, and although she is doing great, her disability is throwing up some challenges. Zoe is struggling with her law degree. Although she is giving it her all, she is not sure that university is for her after all. However, things are much more serious for William and Shelbie, whose futures remain uncertain as their families battle to keep them alive.
