Norfolk mother Kyra Welch, writes about her experiences with her terminally ill four-year-old son Kaiden Griffin.
Kaiden, who grew up in North Creake, near Fakenham, now lives in Holt has an abnormal heart, lungs and veins and the situation is too complex for him to undergo an operation...
Dear Deterioration, I watched you again today, as I did yesterday, as I did the day before, as I have done for the past few years.
I watched the way you took the breath away from my four-year-old child.
I watched how you restricted him from doing all the other things a four-year-old child should be doing.
I watched how you made him tire from walking 20 meters and how you've made it impossible for him to run, and jump and skip and play.
I watched how you've invaded the life of my tiny little child and made it so he has to live his life differently.
I watch the way he sleeps at night and see more of his tiny little veins more visible than the night before, I watch them struggle to pulse that little bit more than they did the previous night.
I've watched you from the very beginning, you came in and you've tried in so many ways to ruin him.
I've watched him live a life with you, each day I watch you try and ruin his little body that little bit more.
But what I learnt from you trying to over run his body is how much more it makes him fight, how much more determined you have made him as a person, how a child at the age of four can have so much more strength than most people I've ever met.
What I learnt is that every day you try and destroy him is another day he'll continue to fight.
Fundraising gala dinner for Kaiden's Big Fight and Ellie's Love
The organisers of two Norfolk charities have teamed up to raise money for causes that are incredibly close to their hearts.
Kaiden's Big Fight and Ellie's Love were both founded by the families of children with terminal illnesses.
The parents of four-year-old Kaiden Griffin, who suffers from a congenital heart defect, founded Kaiden's Big Fight to help children with Kaiden's condition make memories on holiday with their families.
And the parents of Ellie Loades, who suffered from cystic fibrosis, and died aged 16, in 2013, set up a charity in her memory to fundraise for research into the condition.
The organisations are hosting a joint gala dinner in the hope of raising as much as possible for their causes.
The evening will be held in the glamorous surroundings of Holkham Hall, on Saturday September 22, 2018.
Anyone interested in attending the event can look for updates on the Kaiden's Big Fight Facebook page.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here