Dads

On Wednesday 3rd March 2010 Florence Katherine Davis was born to Brett and Laura, two of my closest friends. Giving birth is an anxious time for any family but for Brett and Laura it was the start of a scary journey as Florence was born with a life-threatening heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy.

I can never claim to know what Brett and Laura were going through at this time, all I can do is tell the story from my point of view. As a friend you feel helpless, you want to be there for them, but you also don’t want to be overbearing. It is a very personal situation and people deal with shock in their own way. Florence spent the first part of her life and was cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital. When the time came to visit Florence she looked so fragile, but with the support of her family and a team of amazing doctors she showed fighting spirit to defy the odds.

After watching the trailer for Dads it got me thinking about how far Brett, Laura and Florence have come in the last couple of years. While Florence was in the hospital so were Brett and Laura, barely sparing any thought for themselves. Their strength during this time was unbelievable and inspirational. Florence finally arrived home on 14th June 2010 and it was a triumphant day after such a long time spent in hospital. The film focuses on Brett and five other dads from three other cities. Brett is the cockney one! The bit where Brett talks about Florence in the incubator makes me cry every time but they are tears of joy. Florence is now full of beans and keeping her parents busy in her own cheeky little way. And what more could you ask for:

Photo by James Diggle

I haven’t seen the full film as yet, but hope to watch it in the near future. Brett’s story and those of the other dads will hopefully give an uplifting message about fatherhood and remind us to be thankful for those special people in our lives.

If you would like to make a donation to GOSH: http://www.gosh.org/gen/donate/
Dads was made by http://www.thesoundresearch.com/

Have a wonderful Christmas!