CHRIS, 45, ROSS, 42, AND THOMAS, 3, MIDDLESBROUGH
After 17 years as a couple, Chris and I decided to adopt a baby. Thomas came to us when he was 11 months and he’s now 3½. Over the past few years, our day-to-day life has been not dissimilar to anyone else with kids: school runs, taking them to the park, visiting family and shopping, to name but a few of the activities we get up to. It’s not all fun and games though and inevitably you have to nurse them when they’re ill — something we had to deal with just recently.
While bathing Thomas one night I noticed he had two red dots on his back, but thought nothing of it. The next morning, he had a temperature which Chris, a nurse, checked. Upon closer inspection I noticed his face was covered with more red spots. I took his top off and he was full of them, from head to foot — chickenpox. We called his nursery to tell them and they advised he stay off until he was better.