HEALTH BATTLE
I sobbed knowing I’d passed my rare health condition down to my kids – it broke my heart, admits Emmerdale star
Both of her children suffer from the genetic disease
AN EMMERDALE star has opened up about the painful realisation that she passed a genetic disorder down to her kids.
Laura Norton, who plays Kerry Wyatt in the soap, had two children with her partner and co-star Mark Jordan.
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The couple had no idea that they had the genes for Usher syndrome, a rare disease that affects hearing and vision.
It wasn't until Laura got pregnant with little Ronnie that they realised something was wrong.
In an appearance she made on Loose Women to shine light on the condition, the actress shared: "It was the new-born screening initially that all babies have and his hearing test came back unclear, we were told it was possibly fluid but it came back later that he had moderate hearing loss."
Her fiance added: "You instantly go into defence mode as a parent and we started talking about all the cute hearing aids we could get for him and how we would adapt."
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The mum went on to open up about how she felt when hearing the diagnosis.
In a chat with she admitted the situation made her cry, saying: "My intuition told me there was a serious problem and I was in tears at the thought of it.
"Knowing that we'd passed this on to our son was heartbreaking.
"To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful."
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The soap stars are now putting their all into raising awareness and hopefully helping to find a cure for the condition.
Usher Syndrome comes in three types, depending on the severity of the disease and how soon hearing and sight is lost.
There is currently no cure for it.
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