Samantha Cameron yesterday for the first time spoke of the difficulties of caring for her late son Ivan during a visit to a children's hospice.
The six-year-old, who was born seriously disabled, received round-the-clock care for cerebral palsy and epilepsy before his death.
Sympathetic ear: Samantha Cameron today shared her experiences of caring for her late son Ivan with Risa Balynas (left), whose five-year-old son Miles requires similar attention, during a visit to Richard House Children's Hospice in Newham, east London. Pic/Getty Images
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Cameron shared her experiences with Risa Balynas, whose five-year-old son, Miles, requires similar attention. The pair met as the British prime minister’s wife visited Richard House Children’s Hospice in Newham, east London, where they spoke about the challenges of caring for a child with cerebral palsy.
Balynas, a mother-of two from Tower Hamlets, east London, said, “It was lovely to meet her. She was saying that Miles’ condition was similar to her son Ivan’s. “I have a lot of pains and aches from holding him all the time. She said she had that with Ivan when he was younger.”
She told me she had a painful shoulder from holding him because he screamed and went into spasm. “She understood how it affects you, physically as well as emotionally,” Balynas added. During her visit, Cameron was given a tour of the centre, which supports 290 families and 192 children.
She invited 13-year-old JLS fan Murad Shaikh to visit Downing Street and said her daughter Nancy was equally keen on the band. She told Murad, “My husband and I were lucky as we got to go to the Jubilee concert and my daughter was very jealous because we got to see JLS.” Ivan Cameron died at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, in 2009.
The Prime Minister’s eldest son had a rare genetic disorder that left him with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He died after a seizure. After his death in February 2009, David Cameron said, “We never expected him to die so young or so suddenly so it was a real bolt that hit us.”
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