'Jordan was born looking perfect, but at three months old he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and has gradually lost the use of his arms and legs. For the past three years he has been confined to a wheelchair and he has recently started heart medication. My son will be lucky if he lives to his thirties.

'Despite this, Jordan has the most wonderful sense of humour and manages to joke about his condition. I always say that Jadah is my pride and Jordan is my joy. I have to do everything for him but he's worth it. And his illness is part of him and makes him my son.

'Jordan sometimes asks me about the future and I try to be as honest as possible with him. But I do try not to think too much about tomorrow. At the moment we are having our best days so I want to make sure we enjoy every minute of the time we have together.'

Community update

The freedom movement

'I was shocked when I was diagnosed with cancer – even though I had experienced strange symptoms for six months. I was immediately put on a course of chemotherapy.

'A couple of months later my 50-year-old mum, Hilary, signed up to take part in Cancer Research UK's Race for Life. So I signed up too. I wasn't very fit before I got ill but we started going to the gym to build up our stamina. And doctors said it was better for me to be active, so the race gave me something to focus on, other than my illness.

'The day of the race was two weeks after a chemo session, so I felt OK and I finished it in 45 minutes. When I realised how much money I'd raised I was amazed. I'm in remission now and I know that if it wasn't for research funded by charity I probably wouldn't be here. It's not until you're faced with cancer that you think about it.'

Community update

Race for life

'I always wanted to change people's lives and make a real difference. When I was a solicitor I dealt with legal aid and housing issues for people, but I was just a sticking plaster. I realised most of my clients' difficulties had begun much earlier in life.

'Fostering is extremely challenging. We've had children steal from us and damage our home. And we've had to collect a few from the police station. Sometimes we get calls in the middle of the night to take in emergency cases.

And once we got a call as we sat down to Christmas dinner and we took in a 13-year-old girl who had a bust-up at home. It was amazing to be able to give her the kind of family Christmas she had never had before.

'I've also cared for newborns and it can be hard to let the babies go. But we know that we have given them the best start in life. We actually adopted Ruby because we couldn't bear to part with her.

Admittedly fostering sometimes stretches you . But it's more than worth the rewards. We give a lot, but we get so much back.'