Coronation Street’s Jane Danson reveals Leanne is at the beginning of ‘an awful journey’ after son Oliver’s diagnosis
CORONATION Street’s Jane Danson has revealed Leanne Battersby is at the beginning of ‘an awful journey’ after son Oliver’s heartbreaking diagnosis.
The show’s boss
The news will leave Leanne and Oliver’s dad Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) devastated, with Jane telling Hot TV: “Oliver goes home and he’s seemingly OK. For instance, he’s said ‘Mummy’ after not speaking for a while, which Leanne sees as a positive sign.
“But just as things seem OK, he has a much worse seizure and that’s when they can’t stop it.
“He has to go back to the hospital. That’s the beginning of this awful journey they’re going on.”
In the months to come Leanne and Steve will be forced to come to terms with the heartbreaking diagnosis which will leave Oliver with a life limiting illness for which there is currently no cure.
Corrie worked closely with The Lily Foundation, a charity that supports families and funds research into mitochondrial disease, to ensure the storyline closely reflects the experiences of families with children with mitochondrial disorders.
Jane continued: “Given what she’s being told by the doctors, she can’t escape how serious this is now.
“It’s just something that’s incredibly sad, something that’s unthinkable for most of us.
“It’s also so hard for them to get their heads round. This has come out of nowhere.
“It’s really sad and it has a massive effect on everyone. It’s not just about this little boy, it’s about everybody and how they all cope with this.”
Soap boss Iain MacLeod said he hoped the storyline would raise awareness and ultimately funding for research into the disease in the hopes of finding a cure.
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He said: “This is a story about a family coming to terms with the most difficult news anyone can face and the ways in which this strengthens and shatters relationships in unpredictable ways.
“Above all, we wanted to do justice to the stories of the many thousands of families who have to deal with diagnoses similar to Oliver’s, be it a mitochondrial disorder or another life-limiting condition.
“It is something that, as a society, we find difficult to talk about but which is all too common.”
What is mitochondrial disease?
Mitochondrial disease, or ‘mito’, is the term given to a group of medical disorders caused by mutations in mitochondria, the tiny organelles that are present in nearly every cell in our bodies and which generate about 90% of the energy we need to live.
Cells cannot function properly without healthy mitochondria, so when they fail the consequences can be serious and wide-ranging.
Mitochondrial diseases affect people in multiple ways, depending on which cells are affected.
This can make the condition hard to diagnose, as symptoms often resemble those of other serious illnesses.
For example, a person with mitochondrial disease may suffer from seizures, fatigue, vision and hearing loss, cognitive disabilities, respiratory problems or poor growth.
Any of the body’s organs and systems can be affected including the brain, heart, lungs, gut, liver and skin.
If you are affected or are living with someone who has a mitochondrial disease, for information about the disease and the support available please visit www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk