S09:E10 - Keep on Going

31-year-old Liam is rushed to St George’s after collapsing at home during an epileptic seizure. It was his fourth seizure of the day and he experiences another at the hospital. He’s given an anti-seizure drug to stabilise his condition. Liam’s wife Alice and mum Kimberley talk about the effect his seizures have on them all. “I dread that phone call one day from Alice,” says Kimberley. “Maybe he’s not gonna pull through. It’s a worry every day.” Kimberley was still at school and was starting to get into trouble when she became pregnant with Liam. “He was just like a God send,” she says. “I had to grow up very quickly… you get this natural instinct of I’ve got to look after this. Your whole world is focused on this baby.” 89-year-old Mair is brought to A&E suffering from severe chest pain and difficulty breathing. Doctors take blood samples to test whether her symptoms are due to pneumonia. While she’s treated, Mair’s daughter Janet talks about her mum, who ran a corner shop with her husband. “My mom and dad were very good providers, always had a lovely home,” says Janet. “It was a nice childhood. First kids in the road to have a television. First kids in the road to have a car.” Mair is keen to see her upcoming 90th birthday, but as she has existing heart problems, doctor Tom has to discuss whether she wants to be resuscitated if her heart stops. Meanwhile 12-year-old Lauren arrives by ambulance after breaking her leg while scoring a try in a rugby match. An x-ray shows the extent of her injury and Lauren will need extensive surgery to give her the best chance of walking normally again. “Lauren is a tom boy. She would always be the one up a tree…always kicking a ball around with the boys,” says mum Rachel. “So at the moment I don’t have that kind of relationship where we can go out doing the girlie things. She doesn’t want her nails painted or for me to plait her hair.”