Hmmm... something may have started!

My niece goes to a small country school in waikato, and they have most of their classrooms fitted with a speaker and microphone system.. and it's great, once she moved into a class that had that fitted she started doing so much better, and once she had grommets etc she has just moved ahead in leaps and bounds. i think all schools should consider this sort of thing. if they can get funding to put classes and classes of computers in , then a speaker system should be up there too... that can be just as important for a child's learning as any computer.

Don't ever feel guilty Emma, your right you can't save the world but you can help your children. Orrs only fund 1 percent of disabled children in New zealand, which is not nearly enough. It's about time the govt started thinking about kids as they reacon they are the future. Micheal won a trip through the edge radio station a few years ago for children with disabilities. He went with 13 others and we felt really bad some of these kids were really bad but when we thought about it he's had more than his fair share of problems. He had chronic ezema since he was born he used to be raw from the neck down, and had to go to bed in wet body stockings he used to get up covered in blood, he's had and eye op, nose op, hernia op, he's been sedated and under general for tests 8 times he's boarder line von willerbrands and he's legally blind. But man he has the greatest personality. The way I figure it our children are entitled to the best.

I really feel for you Angelnz waiting to find out what's wrong must be the worst thing. Good luck for Friday!

Would you believe no one in my family will take it seriously so no they haven't been teasted. And unfortunately I have no idea where micheals natural father is. We split when I was pregnant and he dropped off the face of the earth.(not such a bad thing) I do remember his paternal grandfather had alot of problems with bleeding though. My other two are Ok so I am thinking it possibly comes from his side. We really only know the basics about it as he was tested two years ago. He's not classed as severe so that's got to be a good thing. Now that his exzema has cleared up due to age and since he has had his nose op he's doesn't seem to bad. I heard it can affect people quite differently though.

Good on Mona! We have had lot's of bullying with Micheal and then,some kids are just annoying going up to micheal and waving there hands in his face saying "can you see that can you see it" Some kids can be nasty. He is the same behaviour wise at school one on one he's great, not so good otherwise. As far as all his problems go, the way I figure it we are lucky woth micheal! There are so many other things that could have been wrong with him his are survivable and compared to alot of other children minor, for that we are greatful.

Hey Emma, what are the symptoms of glue ear? Just thinking, jake is a little maori boy and he doesn't get his well child checkups over here like he would do back home. would like to be on the lookout.

At least with micheals main vision problem it was a fluke of nature. Apart from his squint nothing else is common in our family or can be passed down., so a quick check for the first couple of months of Jayden and abbys eyes was all that was needed. Poor you, you must rip your hair out everytime maya gets sick. I bet your vigilant.

Things have changed lots in the last 20 years... when I was tested, that was the only way to do it, and they did all the same tests to my parents and extended family to find out who has von Willebrands... turns out its my Dad, one of his sisters, my Grandad and I think it skipped a generation to one of my cousins (but I'm not positive about that). My sister (who is 10 years younger than me) also has it.

I've had Kiya tested, all they did was draw some blood and send it off to the lab... so much less stress and hassle! It came back negative, but Nathaniel and I have some doubts as to whether or not that's accurate, as she's showing some of the things that I did at her age that sent my parents searching for answers in the first place. But that's beside the point...

As you said earlier, von Willebrands affects people differently. My Dad gets monster nose bleeds where they last for hours and he just lies on the floor with a couple of towels under his head to soak up the blood. My sister gets really heavy periods, but that seems to be the only effect so far (she's 14). Personally, it hasn't been a problem for me so far, until I was pregnant. Our family haemotologist told us that it self-corrects in pregnancy, and I had absolutly no complications with the births of either of my children but... birthing centers will not allow me to deliver there, I have to go to the hospital. I don't mind that much, but it would be nice to have the choice!

Sure is! Dad's had his nose cauterised a couple of times... here's a (slightly weird) tip which he does and might work for you: to contain the nose bleed until you can get to the doctor, a tampon inserted into each nostril works really well!

At least the string makes them easy to remove