“When I was pregnant with my second child, William, I knew that there was a slight chance that he may have the genetic condition Treacher Collins Syndrome due to family history. However, when we asked about this at the 20-week scan and in subsequent scans, we were told there was no sign of the condition. “Yet, when William was born it was immediately obvious he had Treacher Collins. It was terrifying as although he cried straightaway he then struggled to breathe and was rushed straight to neonatal intensive care. For the first few days we were in utter shock. “Looking back at photos from when William was born, all I can see is a gorgeous baby. But it’s taken me a long time to get there. At the time it was scary and hard to enjoy being a mum as William had so many medical needs and was hooked up to wires and machines. “After three months we were finally able to bring William home and while our friends were amazingly supportive I think I just hunkered down at first. I wanted to protect William because I was so fearful of what people would do or say. I was also emotionally exhausted and I couldn’t deal with the thought of people asking me about him. He was about 9 months old before I started to feel more confident in taking him out and dealing with any stares, questions or comments. “William is a happy, kind, content little boy who loves zoo animals and is very sociable. He’s just a great little person, and I trust his character will see him through any difficult situations he may face. “We are very proud of William and wouldn’t change who he is for anything. But I do worry that the harder bits are yet to come. What happens when he realises that he looks different? How will he cope when he goes to school and is stared at by other children?” - Kate, William’s mum. Our Christmas wish is to be there for all children like William “through the hard bits”. A gift of £16 could help pay for a vital support session for a child like William. Please donate: #LinkInBio . . #TreacherCollins #TreacherCollinsSyndrome #TCS #VisibleDifference