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Stephen was just eight years old when his mum stopped recording his broken bones. At three hundred, the pages were filling up too fast.
Both Heather and her late son Stephen were born with the rare and incurable bone disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta, otherwise known as Brittle bone disease.
Affecting the body’s production of collagen, Brittle bone disease makes bones soft and bendy like plasticine, but at the same time, they can also shatter like glass with just the lightest touch.
Heather was born with what she says is a mild form of the disease. While this meant pain-free times playing skip rope and walking three miles to school, it would inevitably end in broken collar bones, ribs and even legs one after the other.
Years later, her late son Stephen would be born with a very severe form of the disease, breaking over 300 bones by just his eighth birthday.
Limited copies of Heather’s inspirational book ‘My Brave Face are available for $30 (includes postage).
Additional copies (both Kindle and paperback) can be ordered online at amazon.com.au and other online book stores.