Debbie Makki, 54, Burnage, Greater Manchester
As I waited in the playground, my son’s teacher beckoned me.
‘I just wanted to let you know how well Yousef is doing,’ she beamed.
It was nice to hear, but no surprise. Yousef had always been bright.
As a nurse, I’d watch as Yousef, then 4, leafed through my medical books, absorbing as much as he could.
‘Mummy, I want to be a heart surgeon,’ he’d say.
There was a knock at the door – a police officer When he was 10, I split with my husband and raised Yousef and his sisters, Rachel and Jade, and little brother Mazen, alone.
Painful rheumatoid arthritis forced me to give up nursing and meant I had to use a wheelchair.
We lived on a council…