Your health: Just like Dad

problems, so I knew it was going to explain mine.

My brothers were both clear, but doctors confirmed that I had Fabry disease, too.

The double diagnosis was a shock to everyone and, reading up on the condition, I was worried about the potential complications – kidney failure, heart attack, stroke…

Treatment began right away, with Dad and I travelling to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge every two weeks for intravenous enzyme replacements to control our symptoms.

Hospital staff trained us in administering the treatment ourselves, and six months later we were both receiving our treatment at home.

The last thing a 16-year-old girl wants is to stand out, and this disease made me feel different from everybody else. In my 20s, I felt no better. I was embarrassed by having to run to the bathroom so often, and was self-conscious of the needle marks left on my hands by the treatment.

‘I look like a drug addict,’ I’d grumble.

On 2 September 2014, my dad passed away.

He’d suffered kidney failure as a result of Fabry disease. Devastating.

In my grief, my mind wandered to the realisation that this could happen to me.

Fabry causes different symptoms in each case and, though Dad had far more symptoms than me, I was scared of developing more.

As my 30th birthday approached, I didn’t want to be

defined by my illness any more. I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone.

So when I saw an ad for burlesque dancing classes, I thought, I’m going for it.

It was nerve-racking, but I loved every minute of it. Before long, I was performing on stage.

Bursting with confidence, I also started entering pin-up competitions in 2016. I even made it to the finals of Miss Pinup UK two years in a row.

As for my illness, the treatment is keeping my symptoms under control.

Dad would be proud that I’m not letting our condition hold me back.