0:00:02 > 0:00:0713 years ago, BBC cameras filmed 22 families in Southeast Wales...
0:00:08 > 0:00:12..as they approached the magical moment of birth.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14BABY CRIES
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Breath... and feel those down to there.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20- Down you go. Come on. - SHE STRAINS
0:00:20 > 0:00:22There were problematic pregnancies...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Which day do you want to have your baby?
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- Have it on a Friday, I can go out all day Saturday. - THEY LAUGH
0:00:27 > 0:00:30..dramatic deliveries...
0:00:30 > 0:00:31Get it out!
0:00:31 > 0:00:34No, you pant it out, don't push now, sweetheart!
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Don't push!
0:00:37 > 0:00:39..and life-saving special care.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I don't know what you're going through
0:00:41 > 0:00:46and I don't think any of the nursing staff have got a clue.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47OK? We don't.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51It was a new beginning for the parents-to-be.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54You did excellent! Well done!
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And for some, it was to change their lives forever.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07Over a decade later, and what has happened to these children
0:01:07 > 0:01:09who grew up in a new century?
0:01:11 > 0:01:15What has become of the Welsh millennium babies?
0:01:23 > 0:01:27This time on Welsh Millennium Babies,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30we catch up with two children who had a fragile start to life
0:01:30 > 0:01:32on a hospital special care baby unit.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38I was born a premature baby and I've always had a very quiet voice.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Why do you think that is?
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Um, because it was something to do
0:01:42 > 0:01:44with when I was really, really ill when I was little.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It was a traumatic time, but...you know...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And like you say, as soon as his lungs cleared,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56he was fine and he's turned into the monster we now see.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Back in 1998, at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09an important birthday was being planned.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Which day do you want to have your baby?
0:02:13 > 0:02:16THEY LAUGH
0:02:16 > 0:02:17I don't mind, no.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21- Have it on a Friday, I can go out all day Saturday. - THEY LAUGH
0:02:21 > 0:02:22On Friday?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24No, have a Thursday.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25On Thursday.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It doesn't matter.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31- Is that all right?- Yeah, it's fine.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Do you want to be put to sleep?
0:02:33 > 0:02:36No, I want an epidural, please. Yes, please.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Claire and her husband Niven wanted a planned delivery
0:02:40 > 0:02:44as their first-born Rebecca had ended up as an emergency Caesarean.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I think the thought of leaving Rebecca,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and, um, just the actual operation.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54Cos...I'm a baby, so, um, I think it's just winding me up a bit now.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- But I know it's going to be fine. - REBECCA SHOUTS
0:02:56 > 0:03:00And it's nice because...my local midwife's going to be there, Cathy.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- REBECCA MUMBLES - Yeah.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- We like Cathy, don't we?- Yeah.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Makes it a bit more relaxing knowing that...
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Knowing that it's going to happen.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15- We know exactly when and... - Yeah. I'm really excited cos I really don't know what I'm having.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17And I think that was, you know...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20I'm glad that we didn't find out what it was going to be.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Cos at least it gives us one surprise.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25MUSICAL TOY PLAYS
0:03:25 > 0:03:28That's a... That's a sheep!
0:03:30 > 0:03:34With her bags packed and an appointment in the operating theatre,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Claire gave birth to her second child by Caesarean section.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Here we go, Claire.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45OK!
0:03:45 > 0:03:47It's a boy! A boy! BABY CRIES
0:03:49 > 0:03:54Baby Cameron came into the world weighing six pounds, five ounces.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Look! There's a willy!
0:03:58 > 0:04:00You want a touch of him?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04OK, I'll take him to the paediatrician. Oh, he's gorgeous!
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But the joy of a new-born baby boy was to be short-lived
0:04:11 > 0:04:15when community midwife Cathy Whitcombe broke some worrying news.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19They're going to take him upstairs for observation.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I think it's shock from delivery.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Nothing to worry about, she's going to tell you all about it.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27We're taking him to the special care baby unit for observation.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29There's nothing wrong with him,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31babies sometimes are born and they do grunt.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35- Now, which side? - This side.- All right. There we go.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Go to your mummy!
0:04:36 > 0:04:38He's gorgeous, isn't he?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41And when he cries, he's fine. But he's got this, unh-unh!
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Niv, don't worry, darling. He's OK, honestly, love. He's fine.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I think it's the shock of delivery, you know?
0:04:47 > 0:04:48- WOMAN:- Hi. All right?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Hi. Dad was a bit upset cos I said.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Yeah. Right.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56You can hear the noise he's making.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- Can you see his nose just flaring there?- Yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01And you can see he's not having difficulty breathing,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05but he's using a bit more energy than he probably should be.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Sometimes when you've been born by Caesarean,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10cos you haven't been squeezed out the natural way,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- the fluid that's been in the lungs before hasn't all come out.- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And, you know, he might just need a bit of rest upstairs for a while.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23See how he goes. Sometimes they just need warmed and left untouched.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25- Are you struggling? - BABY CRIES
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Yeah, I think you are a bit, aren't you? Hmm?
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Hmm?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Baby Cameron spent five days on the special care baby unit
0:05:38 > 0:05:41where his breathing was closely monitored.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Eventually, he was well enough to go home.
0:05:54 > 0:05:5712 years on, and the family are living in Newbridge.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Claire and Niven have celebrated 17 years of marriage.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07And Cameron is in his first year of comprehensive school.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Where do you want me to put it?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16On this chair by here, please, babe.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Never-ending.- Hmm!
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Every time Rebecca and Cameron tidy their bedroom,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I seem to get about ten loads of washing.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I don't think they know where the washing basket is
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- until they tell you they can't find any of their clothes.- Hmm!
0:06:38 > 0:06:41What have you got written there?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43"Cameron's Room, best room in the world.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45"Thank you, Mam and Dad."
0:06:45 > 0:06:49And my mam's wrote up there, "Ta" and done some kisses.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51And I've wrote, "Get out," to everyone else.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54And I have to write my to-do list right here.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Most days, when me and my sister get home from school,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03we have to do jobs by the time my parents get in from work.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Like, we normally come in,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07watch TV,
0:07:07 > 0:07:08then do our jobs,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and then... We used to do one job a day,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14but now we have to do more so...
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It's a bit...annoying.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18But I've got to do it.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Why have you got to do it?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23So my mam and dad can sit down when they get in.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Cos my dad, cos of his chest, he's really tired, so...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So, do you like helping your mum and dad?
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Yeah, it puts a smile on their faces.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Hello!
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Hello! Hello, dogs. Come on, then!
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Did you have a nice day? - Hello! Yes, thank you.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Cameron's dad Niven suffers from scleroderma -
0:07:46 > 0:07:49an autoimmune disease
0:07:49 > 0:07:51which has attacked his skin and lungs.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56The condition requires him to take a cocktail of daily medication.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I'm taking an immunosuppressant.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05My immune system's affecting my lungs and...so this tries
0:08:05 > 0:08:08to suppress that to stop it causing any more damage for the time being.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13I mean, since I've been taking the...suppressant, touch wood,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17there's been no decline in my lung function, so...
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Just keeping my fingers crossed
0:08:21 > 0:08:23this is going to keep it stable for a while.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27When the disease was at its worst, Niven had to stop work
0:08:27 > 0:08:31and he can't rule out going on the lung-transplant list in the future.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35I try not to let it take over my life and over everybody else's life,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40but...you know, you've got to find your limits now.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44There's a big fight,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47if I go shopping - who's going to come with me
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- and who's going to carry the shopping. - HE LAUGHS
0:08:52 > 0:08:55He had liquid in his lungs and he was really ill,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57so my mam took him to get a check-up,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and it turned out that he had to go back in hospital, so...
0:09:02 > 0:09:04That upset me.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09And then, I think, he was in there for two weeks.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15NIVEN COUGHS
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Another fragile young life being cared for
0:09:26 > 0:09:29on the neonatal unit back in 1998 was baby Ellie.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34So, how many weeks was she born, then?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Um, 26 weeks, but she was only measuring 22,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41so it was on the borderline, really, of letting her live or...
0:09:41 > 0:09:44It depended if she gasped or not...
0:09:44 > 0:09:46when she was born.
0:09:49 > 0:09:5419-year-old Kerry thought that she was never going to get her first-born baby home,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57as Ellie's ongoing health problems required specialist nursing.
0:09:57 > 0:10:05She's got to have more blood and immunisations before she can go home.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09They want to keep her overnight under observation with her injections.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11ELLIE CRIES
0:10:11 > 0:10:12You can cry!
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Because she's in oxygen, she needs as many red blood cells as she can,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20because they carry the oxygen round the body, so obviously, she is depleted in them.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23We don't want to compromise her any more than she is.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Because she is going home on oxygen, we want to make sure she is fighting fit.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44I think everyone on the unit has looked after her at some time or another during her stay here.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47So we've all got to know her very well.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49We're all very attached.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54It's nice to see them go home, especially like Ellie.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58She's lovely. She's quite a character.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02And she's lovely, and I'm really pleased to see this day come.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Finally, after almost five months of special care,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14new parents Kerry and Jamie were able to take baby Ellie home.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Although her future health would be unpredictable.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35More than a decade later, the family are living in Newport,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and 12-year-old Ellie is a big sister to Olivia and Lexi.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- Don't be afraid to get dirty, love.- I know!
0:11:56 > 0:12:00I help my mum do jobs and stuff.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Do you help your mum a lot?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08No, not really.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Sometimes I do help, and sometimes I don't. Because I'm lazy!
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Giving birth is a life-changing event,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21but Ellie's premature arrival into the world at 26 weeks
0:12:21 > 0:12:25is something that mum Kerry will never forget.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28She looks quite poorly. She's only got the oxygen,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33so she must have been near enough ready to come out of her incubator there.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The day after she was born, the doctor came to see me
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and basically, they hit be with a bang.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45I came back to earth with a bang. My excitement was fear then.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50I didn't know what was going to happen. Whether this baby was going to survive.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I just didn't know.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57There was everybody around me in the hospital,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00cuddling their newborn babies, and I was just sat there,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02not knowing what was going to happen to mine.
0:13:02 > 0:13:10I was only young, so I think as much as I thought I was old, I wasn't.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I suppose thinking back now,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17I was a teenager that was excited to be pregnant.
0:13:17 > 0:13:24But as soon as I had a prem baby, I had to grow up. I had no choice.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I can always remember that she never, ever felt like ours.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Because it felt like you were being watched all the time.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35I can always remember sitting there, thinking,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38"she's got the health authority stamped all over her!"
0:13:38 > 0:13:39It wasn't mine.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Towards the end, just before she came out, they started to lapse then.
0:13:43 > 0:13:49You could do what you want then, and they were expecting you to suddenly take over as mum.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I can remember then going in, and then you felt like a mum.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57But in the beginning, no, you didn't, you didn't feel like a mum at all.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01It was like looking in a goldfish bowl, really.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Even though Ellie can't remember her traumatic start to life,
0:14:09 > 0:14:14she still has a memento of her time spent on the special care baby unit.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- What have you got there, Ellie? - My teddy that I used to have.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21This was the dress from when I was little.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28I like sticking it on this teddy when I've got it round me.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31These were my very first dresses when I was a baby.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- It's tiny, isn't it?- Yeah.- Can you imagine yourself being that size?
0:14:36 > 0:14:37No.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43I think I weighed one pound, five or six.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49I think I weighed less than a bag of sugar.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- (That's tiny, isn't it?) - Yeah. It's very small.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Cameron was also a special care baby.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Though his stay on the unit was short,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11it was still a worrying time for his parents, Claire and Niven.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And watching it again brings all those memories back.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- Do you remember that day?- Yeah.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It was just... We were helpless,
0:15:22 > 0:15:28and there was not a lot we could do, and Claire was still tubed up and wired up.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Just... We'd got to try and...
0:15:33 > 0:15:37console each other the best we can.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42- It was just a horrible feeling, wasn't it?- Yeah, yeah. It is.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47When people say you were in shock, and you don't know what to do,
0:15:47 > 0:15:52that's what's what it's like - not being in control.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Niven, I'm sure I saw a tear in your eye earlier.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58One or two. Every time I watch it!
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Can't help it, can I? Big softie.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09It was a traumatic time, but only traumatic for a couple of days, wasn't it?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Yeah.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Like you say, as soon as his lungs cleared, he was fine,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and he was turned into the monster we now see! Yeah?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- CAMERON:- Mm-hmm.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21CLAIRE LAUGHS
0:16:21 > 0:16:24On my third birthday,
0:16:24 > 0:16:30my mummy watched it, and near the end, I started crying.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31My mum asked me what was the matter,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and I said "Mummy, why do you hate me?"
0:16:34 > 0:16:35Because I'd come out slower.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I felt like an idiot.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40You were only three!
0:16:40 > 0:16:42If you said it now, I'd wonder!
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Ellie's family spend most of their leisure time together,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and fishing is one of her dad Jamie's passions.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And he's passed it on down the family line,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03as even Ellie is now hooked.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08- How much do you love fishing, Ellie?- Loads.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Come on, Ellie, show some enthusiasm!
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Jamie works shifts at a major supermarket,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17so family time is precious.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And he'll tackle a bit of fishing come rain or shine!
0:17:20 > 0:17:25I don't always bring the kids out in this weather, but...
0:17:25 > 0:17:27it's me and my dad, usually!
0:17:27 > 0:17:28There's a little roach.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We've got to get a bigger one, right?
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Well, I have been fishing all my life, and it's come from my dad.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37They just loved it, they came with me one day
0:17:37 > 0:17:39and she's never stopped talking about it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Sit down there.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Lean to the side.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Lean to the side and rest it on your hand.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It's really relaxing and nice and quiet.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Did you want a boy at all? - Yes. I always wanted a boy.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01I want another child as well, but Kerry won't have it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02That's the end of it.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- KERRY:- That is the end! Final. No more, Jame.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07Forget it!
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- REPORTER:- Why?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- KERRY:- Three is more than enough!
0:18:12 > 0:18:16It's all right for him. He's in work. I have to stay and look after them.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17No, Els, we don't want more!
0:18:17 > 0:18:22- I just want a brother!- What, a brother or just another baby?
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- A brother.- A brother? Impossible!
0:18:30 > 0:18:34- REPORTER:- How many have you caught so far?- Five.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- KERRY:- How many?- Five.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40This is where dad falls in! Quick! Go on, Jame.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Go on, Dad!
0:18:44 > 0:18:46They're not magnets, they're maggots!
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Cameron has grown up a healthy, happy boy.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07But when he was ten years old, his father Niven was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10And for a while, he had to stop work.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20- That's your first lot.- Thanks, Niv. Next ones, please?- Yeah, no problem.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Today, Niven's lungs function at only 40%,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28so the type of work he can do is limited.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31He's recently started a new job as a production operator
0:19:31 > 0:19:33in an engineering factory.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38But his health is never far from his thoughts.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Probably the next step for me is a lung transplant.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Claire and the kids have just got to suffer and...
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I don't want to be a burden on them.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52I don't want them to have to run round after me
0:19:52 > 0:19:57and fetch and carry for me for, you know, the rest of my life.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58But, err...
0:20:01 > 0:20:05I do sit and have a little cry to myself sometimes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:13That's why this job came at such, I think, an important time for us.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Both financially and for...
0:20:20 > 0:20:24I mean there were cracks for me and Claire starting to appear as well.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25She was struggling.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Can we stop now?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Claire works at the same factory
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and understands how important this job is to her husband.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46The difference we've all seen in him is amazing so, yeah,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I'm glad he's done it. You know? So, it's...
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Don't get me wrong, the money's been helpful as well!
0:20:53 > 0:20:55That's always... But, you know, that's not the main issue.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56At the end of the day,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59if his health means he can't do it, he can't do it.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03But, no, he's really enjoying it. So I'm glad he's done it.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04I know if it was me, it'd be different.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08You know, I'd be, sort of curled up in a corner feeling sorry for myself,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11so I do take my hat off to him, I've got to be honest.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Yeah.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Everyone in Ellie's family knows about her difficult start in life.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Even little sisters Olivia and Lexi.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31- Who are those then?- My big sister.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33There's Ellie and my daddy.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39She was taking her first steps and my mummy and daddy were so happy.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42That was Ellie when she first came home.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Let's have a look at that tiny photo there.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Oh, she looks very small there, doesn't she?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53How do you feel when you look at photographs of you as a little baby?
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Um, just feel a bit weird in a way.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The first three years of Ellie's life were fragile.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13She was in and out of hospital with life threatening chest problems.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20I think that was harder because by then Ellie'd got her own personality,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23you know, she was 18 months old, running round.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29You know, it was a little person that had grown.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33We knew Ellie then, if you can put it like that.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37You know, I done everything with her and to see her go back a step then
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and to think that we could lose her, like 18 months on,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I suppose, was harder than when she was born
0:22:43 > 0:22:45because I'd had her home, I'd done everything.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48You know, she called me Mum, everything like that.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50So I think that was the harder one.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And then we had another one then the following Christmas.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01But that one wasn't nowhere near as scary because she was just,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04well, I'd say a lot healthier. She was a lot stronger, she was a year older,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07she could hold her own a lot better then.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And then, since then, touch wood, we've never had to go back.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17Now 12 years old, Ellie is lucky that she has no serious health problems
0:23:17 > 0:23:19from her premature birth.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- You've got a very quiet voice, haven't you?- Err, yeah.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Why's that?
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Erm, cos I was born three months early
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and kept in hospital for five months, I think.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40I think it might have been caused by the tubes and stuff.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44- Does it worry you? - Erm, no, not really.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Sometimes I do shout at my sisters, but it don't work.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Well, they don't listen anyway if I do shout at them.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59We don't know Ellie any different - her voice has always been the same.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02But, I mean, probably you would've noticed it -
0:24:02 > 0:24:06the deeper, croaky voice but, like I say, we don't notice it.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09But she does get picked on for it quite a lot.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14But I do think it is something to do with where she had so many tubes
0:24:14 > 0:24:15put down her throat.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18But, at the end of the day, what do you do? Croaky voice.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22You know, it's what got her here today, isn't it?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Cameron has to help out around the house
0:24:37 > 0:24:40and he is starting to show real flair in the kitchen.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44- Whisk it?- Mix it up now, yeah.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Big whisk. Don't want any lumps there.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51How long have you been cooking then, Cameron?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- Don't know. Just started... - Around Christmas time, wasn't it?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- We all had Christmas dinner together, didn't we?- Mm-hmm.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01He hasn't poisoned us yet anyway. He made a fruit salad in school.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02It was nice.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- There, is that OK? - Let's have a look.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07If I do any cooking, Niven interferes.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09He comes and stirs everything
0:25:09 > 0:25:12so I decide, "Right, OK, let him carry on,"
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and I sit here reading the paper instead.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It's a good deal to me.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Would you like to cook as a professional?
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Hmm, nah. I want to be an engineer when I'm older.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28My mum always said I was good at things like that.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32- Good at taking things apart, eh? - I used to take all my toys apart.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Some of them I knew how to put back together, some of them I didn't.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Check the oven to see if it's hot enough yet.- It's gone off.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Light's off, yeah?- Mm-hmm.- OK.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45'I'm so proud of Cameron -
0:25:45 > 0:25:48'the way he's stepped up to the mark to help out'
0:25:48 > 0:25:50in the last 18 months/two years
0:25:50 > 0:25:53since I've been diagnosed with my illness.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I don't think a parent could be any more proud
0:25:56 > 0:25:58than I am at the moment with him.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04But it's not all work for father and son.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Tonight it is football practice for the Treowen Stars Club.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15He enjoys his football so...
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Just...standing in the cold,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20week in, week out.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26Sunday mornings, Saturday mornings. Just making sure he enjoys the game.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Whether or not Cameron turns out to be the next Ryan Giggs
0:26:31 > 0:26:34doesn't really matter to his mum and dad.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35I suppose like any parents,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39- you just want your child to be healthy and happy.- Yeah.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43You don't look forward to planning the future for him
0:26:43 > 0:26:46cos at the end of the day, it's Cameron's future
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and he can decide what he wants to do himself.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51As long as he's happy in what he does...
0:26:51 > 0:26:54We'll just try and encourage him and support him
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and hope, you know, hope he does...
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- Guide them rather than push them, isn't it?- Yeah, that's right, yeah.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05If it weren't for my mum and dad, I would have a place to live,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07a room to live in, a bed to sleep in or anything.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I wouldn't have any food so I'd die.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Ellie's health and fitness is going from strength to strength
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and she takes to her weekly swimming lessons like a duck to water.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Ready? Go!
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Ellie, keep your hand in.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45She is going a lot better. At first, she was slightly weak
0:27:45 > 0:27:49but she's getting stronger and stronger as she goes along now.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51She does running in school on sports days.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55She's pretty good at that as well - long distance, she does.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56That surprises me.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58For the first two years of her life
0:27:58 > 0:28:02we didn't know where we were, so to see her now at 12 years old -
0:28:02 > 0:28:03she's brilliant.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06All I hope is that her health continues, to be honest with you.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I mean, there's nothing standing in the way at the moment
0:28:10 > 0:28:12to say that anything's going to be wrong with her.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14But I just hope that she can continue
0:28:14 > 0:28:17cos she's done so well over the years to keep her health.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22Obviously, you want the best for them - marriage, kids, job.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26So, yeah, I just hope for all that - that everything's fine
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and she knows where I am if ever she needs me, you know?
0:28:32 > 0:28:36I'm really proud of her. Really proud.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Aren't we? We might not always show it but we are.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
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