Newport mum with disabled daughter features on TV (From South Wales Argus)

Newport mum with disabled daughter features on TV

7:00am Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News

A NEWPORT mum who cares for her severely disabled daughter will star in a BBC Wales series which begins tonight.

27-year-old Charlene Christensen had a traumatic experience giving birth to her second child Alleysha four years ago, which left Alleysha with severe brain damage, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

The Alway mum is due to feature in every episode of the BBC Wales series 'Wales in a Year' as she cares for her three children, Elleyah, seven; Alleysha, four; and baby Chealey, now one.

"The programme is about how my life has changed over the last year and giving birth to my third child," explained Miss Christensen.

"With my middle daughter Alleysha, all her scans were fantastic until the birth.

"They couldn't find a heartbeat and discovered that she had twisted, but staff insisted on a normal birth," said Miss Christensen.

"It was very quick but she wasn't breathing and it took ten or 11 minutes to resuscitate her."

As a baby Alleysha was in hospital for several months, an experience which Miss Christensen described as "horrific".

She is epileptic and partially sighted and has dystonic spasms which causes her to bite the inside of her lip.

The BBC programme begins tonight at 8pm on BBC One.