Big Brother star Reggie Bird recalls son Lucas’ Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis

Big Brother star Reggie Bird has recalled the moment she was told her son Lucas had Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

Bird, 51, spoke about the her son’s devastating diagnosis on the Two Doting Dads with Matty J and Ash podcast.

“Lucas was four months old when the results came through from his heel prick test,” she said.

Watch the video above.

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Heel prick tests, also known as “newborn bloodspot screening”, are performed on all newborns in Australia within 72 hours of their birth to identify any serious medical conditions so they can be treated early

“I got a letter in the mail and it had like 30 different diseases on there,” Bird said.

“When I saw on there one of them was Cystic Fibrosis, I just thought, ‘S–t, I hope it’s not that’, because I knew how bad it was.”

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One of her former husband Dale’s friends, whom he worked with in at the fire service, had a child with the chronic condition “and we knew what they go through”.

She rang Dale, telling him “there’s something wrong” with their son.

When they rang the paediatrician for more information, they were told it would take two weeks.

Bird said Dale “rang them back” and “blasted the s–t out of them” and they were seen the next day.

“So we did get in the next day and then yeah, that’s when they told us Lucas has Cystic Fibrosis, and I just broke down crying,” she said.

“It’s just like, this is the worst thing ever. So that was really really horrible.”

Lucas is now 15 and Bird has become a fierce advocate for her son, who continues to struggle with the condition.

Cystic Fibrosis ”primarily affects the lungs and digestive system because of a malfunction in the exocrine system that’s responsible for producing saliva, sweat, tears and mucus” according to Cystic Fibrosis Australia.

Babies born today with CF can expect to live well into adulthood, however it is deemed a life-limiting condition.

There is currently no cure, but advances in treatment and care are helping people better manage their CF.

CF is the most common, life-limiting genetic condition affecting Australians.

Over 3,730 people are living with CF in Australia and one in 25 people carry the recessive CF gene change.

Bird described her son’s life with CF and ongoing treatment.

“Lucas’ pancreas doesn’t work, his liver doesn’t work properly, so it’s the whole digestive system,” she explained.

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“It’s the CFTR faulty gene and the salt, so the salt doesn’t reabsorb back into their body.

“So, like, as when we sweat, it all go back in. With Lucas, when he sweats, all the salt comes out on and it stays on his skin, so this is why he has to have salt tablets every day as well.

“I’ll give him a lot of it in summer, Powerades, Gatorades, electrolytes to put that all back in. When he doesn’t have enough salt he becomes very lethargic, and I can tell.”

Her son has to have a “very high-fat, high-calorie diet” because those with CF struggle to retain weight.

Bird described Lucas’ care as “constant”.

“It’s absolutely every day without fail. You have to have physiotherapy and make sure he’s got the right tablets,” she said.

Lucas has been hospitalised “so many times” due to his compromised immune system.

“If he gets a wet cough, you know, straight away … we need to try and get on top of this by giving him antibiotics,” Bird said.

“But if it doesn’t go away, he ends up in hospital and they put a ‘PICC’ into them and it goes right up to the top of the heart and they pump really strong IV antibiotics into his body, and that’s for two weeks at a time.”

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Bird and Dale, who divorced in 2012, are also parents to daughter Mia, 18.

Bird spoke of the struggle to care for her daughter during Lucas’ frequent hospitalisations.

“I feel like she’s grown up missing out on that attention, which is really sad,” Bird said.

“She’s sort of grown up now. I feel like she’s she’s really felt.”

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