Wonder drug means I can celebrate my first Mother’s Day
A EUROVISION singer who feared her cystic fibrosis meant never having children is celebrating her first Mother’s Day – thanks to a wonder drug we helped her win.
In 2019 the Daily Express joined the UK’s 10,600 CF sufferers to fight for access to the drug Kaftrio.
When it was made available on the NHS in 2020, Bianca Nicholas was prescribed it that October – and took her first deep breath since she was 15.
Now married to Gearoid, Bianca, 33, of Tonbridge, Kent, has seen her dream of being a mum become a reality after giving birth to their healthy baby boy Jude four months ago.
Bianca, who represented Britain in Eurovision 2015 in duo Electro Velvet and has also appeared on The Voice and X Factor, said: “All my life I have always thought of Mother’s Day as being about my own mother. Now I am mummy too!
“It is remarkable that this has happened when I think about how ill I was just two years ago. Before Kaftrio I was told I had ‘unexplained infertility’ – I had lots of tests and can only say it was down to my cystic fibrosis.
“But Kaftrio gave me a new lease of energy and massively increased my health and when I did find out I was pregnant in February 2021 I knew was strong enough to give birth. “Jude is a chilled and happy baby and as a family we feel so complete.” When Bianca was 14 she won a wish through the Starlight Children’s Foundation to sing a duet with Will Young.
It gave her the drive to be a professional singer and in 2015 she and friend Alex Larke performed on Eurovision with their song Still In Love With You.
She kept her CF to herself as she did not want to appear to be garnering sympathy with “a sob story”. Then, when she fell pregnant, she had to come off Kaftrio as it had not been fully tested on pregnant women.
She breast-fed Jude and suffered some lung infections needing antibiotics, but Bianca hopes to restart taking Kaftrio soon – and think about having another child.
She said: “For now I’m just going to treasure the precious gift we have been lucky enough to have.”
To find support on cystic fibrosis or to donate to help research, visit www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk
I