Gemma Hebbron, 38, was accused during a time when her son desperately needed help
My son Thomas yawned as he pushed the food around on his plate. I’d made his favourite – fish fingers, but he’d hardly touched them. ‘Can I go and watch the TV now?’ he asked hopefully. ‘Go on then,’ I sighed, clearing away his leftovers.
It was November 2018 and Thomas had turned five a couple of months before. His recent loss of appetite and energy was starting to worry me. He’d always been such a foodie, especially when it came to fish. So, it was a real concern when he started turning his nose up at his favourite dishes. He was also struggling with a nasty cough that just wouldn’t budge.
Having previously been a schoolteacher, I knew kids Thomas’ age were always sharing germs, but this felt like more than your regular bug. And the last time he’d been poorly like this, aged two, it had turned out to be sepsis – something doctors missed until it was nearly too late.
But we’d been to the doctor and this time around they’d diagnosed asthma. We were waiting for a referral to the asthma clinic, but I wasn’t convinced by the diagnosis.
‘I’m worried it’s going to end up being something terrible again,’ I told my mum Sheila, 68, the following day. As a single mum, my own mother is the first person I turn to when I have a problem.
‘Has he got any more bruising?’ she asked. I nodded. That was another thing – suddenly, bruises were popping up all over Thomas’ little body. At first I’d thought they were just the usual bumps kids got. But there were just too many.
So I pushed for another appointment. ‘We’ve referred him to the clinic, there’s nothing else we can do,’ the GP told me.
When Thomas started struggling to breathe at night, I thought I’d finally get taken seriously. The first time it happened I was terrified – my poor little boy lay in bed wheezing, his chest puffing right up and then falling in again as he took short, shallow breaths. But still, the doctors kept dismissing my worries.
Desperate, I took videos of his breathing battles and when we finally got seen, I took my mum along for support. I showed the GP the videos and once again pointed out Thomas’ bruising.
NIGHTMARE SITUATION
‘I know it’s difficult being a single mum, but there are better ways to discipline your child,’ she said, staring at the bruises on Thomas’ arms and legs.
Rage and fear coursed through me as I realised what she was accusing me of. How could she think I would harm my own son? Thomas wa
