ABSTRACT
Simon, and his twin, Peter, were born at twenty-five weeks whilst their mother, Carla, was visiting relatives in her home country. Simon was the smaller and secondborn twin. He was born blue and resuscitated at birth. An intensive-care infant unit separated Simon from his family. He was ‘stuck’ in hospital for the first five months of his life and Carla and the twins were ‘stuck’ overseas for eighteen months before returning home to the UK and to Steven, the twins’ father. Simon received repeated surgical interventions as a baby, including operations on his eyes, kidneys and stomach. He achieved oral feeding but after a stomach operation in his second year required a gastronomy button and tube. At the age of three and a half he had not returned to eating orally.
