Our postman is a lovely chap and he has absolutely no idea of the impact of his daily visit to our house. Our postbox is around the front of the house so I don’t have the luxury of hearing the letter box clang shut – instead I watch out for the little red van, feeling a little like an extra in an episode of Postman Pat, and shooting out to empty the box as soon as I can.

So why is this poor innocent postman the subject of such attention? Is he a Royal Mail version of Hugh Grant? Not quite. However he is the one who could at any time, deliver us the news we have been waiting 7 long years for – the prospect of a diagnosis for GG.

As some of you may know from previous blogs, GG remains undiagnosed and this means that she has an ultra rare disease. So rare, that it has yet to be identified. Current genetic science has been unable to pinpoint the problem, and this is the case for more than 6000 children born every year.

However this is a rapidly changing picture as genetic research is moving at pace. GG has already completed a genetic research programme looking at exome sequencing which did not give us any answers. We have been on the 100,000 genome programme for almost 3 years and have watched with both envy and trepidation as many of our fellow Swan (Syndrome Without a Name) members have recently received the most anticipated letter through the door. The letter that say’s a result has been found. The letter that opens up a route for further information, possibly meeting others with the same genetic mutation, maybe even new treatment options.

There are many reasons why a diagnosis would be warmly welcomed for GG. Just last week in an appeal meeting to obtain a blue badge, the assessor stated ‘it’s so tricky without a diagnosis to capture all of GG’s needs on the form’ – from a practical point of view a label makes life much easier and services more accessible. There is no healthcare pathway for undiagnosed conditions and we never know what to expect as we have no prognosis. There is the lingering as I continue to wonder if I did something wrong which caused GG’s challenges. Knowing whether GG’s condition is hereditary will become important to her siblings. The list goes on.

On Rare Disease Day 2018 we had hoped to be joining with the diagnosed rare disease community in promoting awareness and extending support to others in a similar position. Instead, we will continue to rush to the post box as soon as the van pulls off, in the hope that it will be our turn soon.