On Wednesday the 22nd July 1998, our daughter Georgi made a grand entrance into the big wide world, weighing a mere 51b 6oz. So delicate and perfect. Our feelings for her were so intense, we had so much love to give this little angel.

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Georgi O'Keefe

On day two of Georgi's life we were informed of the routine heel prick (PKU test). We both chose to leave the room as we did not want to see somebody prick the tiny little heel of our precious angel and make her cry. (Little did we know that this heel prick was going to become a routine part of our lives). We never gave this blood test a second thought until we were contacted by our local hospital informing us that a second test was required. The nurse told us that repeated tests are often performed and this was just a standard procedure and that everything would be OK.

A few days later we were contacted by the Royal Childrens' Hospital. The PKU test was positive. This could not be true, our little angel was perfect and how dare somebody tell us different! Then followed all the questions; What is PKU? Have the results been mixed up? Is it all just a bad dream? ......

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Georgi - what a cutie!

As we pulled up to the Royal Childrens' Hospital, the realisation struck us both. Georgi has PKU - How is this going to affect her? and us? What followed over the next few days were numerous discussions about how Georgi was born with her condition and how to help her live a normal life. We also enjoyed a visit from a young girl and had a great deal of support from the staff at the Royal Childrens' Hospital.

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Loves licking the beaters like any child!

OK our daughter has PKU, her diet is going to be very different from the average child and there will be lots of ups and downs. But this inconvenience is a small price to pay for ensuring that our precious little daughter Georgi has the quality of life that she fully deserves.We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the team of dedicated professionals at the Murdoch Institute for their support and guidance following the news of Georgi's condition. We are also very thankful of the support and friendship we have received from many families with PKU children. It is very reassuring and invaluable in assisting us in coming to terms with the fact that our daughter has a genetic condition, but is still so perfect and normal.

Chris and Tracey O'Keefe

Last updated June 2002