Dawn O’Porter

So I went back to another doctor who had a bit more of a heart and said, Dawn's not.

epileptic she's traumatized and this is a really standard reaction to a kid who has you know been through something really difficult so I went off the epilepsy pills never never you heard that word again and then just um

you know, just cracked on.

There was no medicine for what was actually happening.

Yeah, the acknowledgement of it was great.

You know, this is the 80s.

It wasn't that it was a forbidden subject in my house, but it's not like we all sat around talking about the fact that she died.

And there was no therapy.

I went back to school two days later and no one ever mentioned it at school again.

You know, you just kind of, it was very much that happened and now you have to get on with your life.

And I feel like, you know, I've seen this happen in today's world.

Kids are very, you know, supported and there's therapy and charities and all sorts of things that are there to get them through it.

But back then it was, that's not really what happened.

And so I think the acknowledgement of someone saying to me,

you've been through something horrific and that might affect you was a real relief.

It's really hard to know what the best thing to do for a six and an eight-year-old is when their mum is dying.

Like, really sadly, I've just lost a friend of mine, and she had kids exactly the same age as I was when my mum died.

And they were in America.

Now, that was dealt with with, like, endless therapy, family meetings.

It was all so on the table.