Big Brother 2003 winner Reggie Bird’s struggles have grown ever more challenging, as her 9-year-old son Lucas’ fight with cystic fibrosis takes a turn for the worst.
And despite all efforts, his courageous struggle seems to be getting the best of him, Reggie has revealed in an exclusive interview with WHO’s celebrity podcast Who Are You.
‘It’s mentally draining… and little Lucas, he knows,’ says Reggie. ‘At the moment he’s saying, “Mummy, I don’t want to live. I don’t want to live with cystic fibrosis, I don’t want to be here.”’
Reggie says Lucas is now getting appropriate support to overcome his feelings, but the family’s struggles continue.
‘Cystic fibrosis is a lung disease but it effects the whole system,’ explains Reggie. ‘I have to give him physiotherapy every day – I just hope one day there will be a cure but at the moment it’s not looking like there will be.
‘A little 9-year-old saying they don’t want to live…it’s not good,’ says Reggie.
But the 44-year-old has struggles of her own. ‘I’m legally blind,’ she tells Who Are You. ‘I only have nine percent central vision. No peripheral vision, no night vision and I have cataracts as well,’ Reggie says.
After years of burying her head in the sand it was a visit from Vision Australia that has put everything in perspective. ‘It just really hit me,’ say Reggie. ‘It’s scary. I have to plan the rest of my life being blind.’
But Reggie is still reluctant to face her future, ‘I don’t want to think about it,’ she says. ‘But now I’ve got to. I’m looking down the track at getting a guide dog.’
To hear more about Reggie’s inspirational fight for her family, head to our podcast, Who Are You (details below), for the full interview.
If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
This article originally appeared on WHO.
