condition

A guest on The Repair Shop opened up about how the precious item meant so much to her family.

A guest on The Repair Shop broke down in tears as she opened up about her son’s health.

The BBC programme returned to screens on Wednesday, September 23, with spin-off Beyond the Barn. The series follows experts restoring precious items from guests across the country, while also discovering what happened after the special items were restored.

Wednesday’s programme saw a treasured trophy revived, as well as a coronation scrapbook brought back to life. At the start of the show, Ruth Dalton from Rochester arrived with a gardening tool.

She sought The Repair Shop team’s help, including expert Jonathan Reid, in reviving her grandfather’s gardening tool, a pair of secateurs, so her son could use them.

She explained: “I have my late grandfather’s gardening scissors. He used them all the time, and I kind of wanted to keep them as a reminder of him and his gardening.”

She continued: “His name was Stan. He was a real, real green-fingered guy. He had a massive garden. I used to love spending time with my grandad. As children, we were always up there, helping him in the garden.

“There were little steps that went up to a big lawn and different archways. He used to tell us what plants you could touch and what they did. You know, ‘Don’t touch the roses, you might get pricked by the roses,’ and that sort of thing.

“He was very encouraging and did teach us a lot, gardening was his life.” Ruth went on to reveal that she herself loved gardening, though her own garden wasn’t “at its best”.

Ruth explained how she wanted the secateurs fixed so she could tend to her own garden, which was built for her son. She said: “His name is Samuel, he’s got a condition called Bainbridge-Ropers syndrome.

“He was only the 12th person in the UK to be diagnosed, and there’s about 300 worldwide. He’s coming up to 26 years old. He can’t walk, he can’t talk, he doesn’t really understand much but he loves being outside. His demeanour changes completely when he’s out in the fresh air.”

She added: “He can’t do things on his own but he really loves doing things like when we’re weeding and stuff. If he can reach them, he’ll pull the weeds out himself. So I thought these would be perfect because they’re just about the right size for Samuel to hold.”

She went on to point out some “dreadful” issues with the scissors, including how rusty they were and how stiff they were to use, as well as the old paintwork that was flaking off.

When asked how it would feel for her son to be able to use the same pruners that her grandfather once used, Ruth broke down in tears. She said: “My grandad’s always there, and his guiding hand on Samuel’s… I do things hand-on-hand with him, I almost feel that if he could use those, it would be my grandad’s hand helping him and to get him out there doing something purposeful gives him that little bit of independence. It would be special, he’s a special boy, he deserves it.”

The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate to vote on Monday for the first time in three months, looking noticeably more frail after he was hospitalized for a June fall in his home.

McConnell’s lengthy absence from the Senate generated a flood of criticism and online speculation, as he initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition. The 84-year-old senator eventually disclosed a month later that he had been “briefly unconscious” due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.

He briefly addressed reporters Monday from a wheelchair outside the Senate chamber, smiling but speaking slowly and with some difficulty. McConnell joked that he wasn’t sure how many reporters would be there after dodging so many questions during his almost two decades as leader.

He said he was back in the Senate to work on a pending farm bill and because he has an ongoing interest in NATO and “backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians.”

Reporters and photographers were told by Senate staff not to take video of his remarks in the second-floor hallway, even though video is often permitted in that area. Still images were allowed.

McConnell, who holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Senate leader, is in his final months of his four decades in office. He is retiring at the end of January after one of the most consequential careers in modern politics.

Republicans have nominated U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to replace him, while Democrats have nominated former state lawmaker Charles Booker. McConnell has said he is determined to finish out his term.

McConnell suggests he’s still recovering

In a statement issued before his remarks, McConnell made clear that he may still miss some votes due to his health issues.

He said that he is “still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader (John) Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said in the statement.

The senator’s extended leave highlighted increasing public concern about the age of lawmakers and their capacity to carry out their duties. Speculation about his condition grew so intense at one point that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step of issuing a public letter asking McConnell to update the public in a “transparent manner.”

McConnell’s absence was also felt over the summer as Republicans were unable to advance a farm bill out of committee. His return could give GOP leaders a needed vote as they try to advance legislation on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports.

A history of health problems

McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs.

A statement from the Capitol physician that was included with McConnell’s July release said that the senator has “experienced several falls through the year” due to his “post-polio condition.” The office said his physical therapy was aimed at reducing the risk of him falling again.

“A comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage,” the physician’s office said.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period.

Toward the end of his time as leader and in the last two years as a rank and file senator, McConnell’s health has visibly declined.

He was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He twice froze up during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff. A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon.

Jalonick writes for the Associated Press.

Alanis Morissette is getting candid about the terror she experienced with what she calls “postpartum activity.”

Although terms like postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis may not have dominated trending topics in the 2010s when the singer-songwriter was having her three babies, Ever Imre, now 15; Onyx Solace, 10; and Winter Mercy, 7, it’s an especially hot-button issue today. And Morissette knows a thing or two about grappling with the condition.

On Wednesday, Morissette appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and told host Alex Cooper that she experienced postpartum depression after giving birth to each of children, and that the condition worsened each time.

“Basically, I became another person,” she said, adding that her hormones felt out of whack. “There’s some version of menopausal flux combined with … invasive thoughts that are so harrowing — terrible, ceaseless, invasive thoughts, anxiety, depression, rage, off the charts. I felt completely out of control, and yet I was touring … and being a boss and being someone taking care of money and finances and everything, and that is the part where, when I’m quiet and alone, I might weep a little bit.”

In recent months, attitudes around postpartum depression have shifted, and the condition has been discussed more urgently than perhaps ever before. Hayden Panettiere’s death sparked renewed scrutiny of society’s treatment of women suffering from the condition. And the polarizing trial of Lindsay Clancy, a labor-and-delivery nurse who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after killing her three children in 2023, has captivated the country since July.

Back in 2019, Morissette discussed her experience with the illness, but the topic hadn’t yet garnered the public’s attention like it has today. Morissette told Cooper that when she first experienced symptoms, she reached out to multiple therapists, who didn’t seem to know how to treat the issue, no matter how well-meaning they were.

The “You Learn” singer said that the “invisible load” that mothers often carry — which the Institute of Child Psychology describes as the mental and emotional weight involved in running a home and tending to children — should no longer be invisible.

“We’re making it visible,” she said. “I’m going to tell you the 37 things that we do an hour … let’s name it. Even us calling it ‘invisible load’ keeps it invisible.”

The Grammy winner told Cooper that she went on tour while suffering from postpartum depression during the pandemic and that it became so severe, she “dipped into psychosis.”

“The depression piece inside PPD, unfortunately, I was familiar with it,” she said. “It was all the other stuff. It was the invasive thoughts and the terror. All I could picture was death and terrible things. … The bummer for me inside PPD was that I was losing people’s trust in my sanity. That’s a bummer. When I have spent my whole life attempting to establish to people I love that I’m safe, and that I’m predictable, and then all of a sudden I wasn’t. That was a loss, because people looked at me differently. They looked at me like I maybe couldn’t be trusted.”

The singer said she’d recovered since the struggle. “I feel so happy that I’m back.”

Venezuela’s former first lady, Cilia Flores de Maduro, has asked a judge to release her from federal detention in the United States, citing a worsening heart condition.

In an application for pre-trial release on Wednesday, her legal team asked for the court to allow Flores to await trial under home confinement in Manhattan.

It described her declining health since US military operation on January 3 that resulted in her abduction from Caracas and imprisonment in New York, as well as that of her husband, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“Prior to the United States’ military invasion of Venezuela, Ms. Flores de Maduro was physically healthy and took no ongoing medication, other than a monthly injection to help control her mitral valve prolapse,” the legal filing said.

“Now she is prescribed four medications, maintains nitroglycerin by her side in the event of a potential heart attack, and grapples with the continued medical advice suggesting coronary exploration and surgery.”

Flores was a prominent figure in her husband’s government, serving as first lady since his inauguration in 2013.

Prior to Maduro’s first inauguration, she was also a leading member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the country’s dominant political movement, leading the National Assembly for more than four years.

But Maduro had long clashed with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who accused Venezuela of sending drug-traffickers into the US. Both Maduro and Flores have also faced allegations of participating in human rights abuses, including the violent suppression of political dissent.

After launching a one-day military operation to abduct Maduro and Flores, the Trump administration charged them both with drug- and weapons-related charges. They are currently awaiting trial in New York City.

But Flores’s health has been in doubt since her forced removal from Venezuela, according to her legal team.

After consulting outside medical experts, Flores’s lawyers said they believe she may have suffered a minor heart attack on July 29 while in US custody.

They also questioned whether she was receiving the appropriate medical care for her mitral valve prolapse, a condition affecting one of the heart’s valves.

Since her imprisonment, her lawyers said Flores has not received the monthly injection she needs to manage the condition.

Instead, she has reportedly been prescribed baby aspirin, a statin, diltiazem and nitroglycerin to use when she experiences chest pain.

Doctors have recommended that she undergo a cardiac procedure, which could result in additional heart operations. If she undergoes such treatment, Flores “will need adequate time to recover from any procedures in a setting conducive to restoring her health”, her lawyers said.

Thursday’s filing acknowledges that Flores does not “dispute that she has received excellent care” from medical professionals. But it argues that “a detention centre lacks the conditions needed for such a recovery”.

Her lawyers proposed moving Flores from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a residence within the Manhattan federal court district, where she and Maduro are due to go on trial next June.

Under home detention, Flores would be subject to round-the-clock armed monitoring, with visits restricted to people approved by the court and federal prosecutors. Her home would also be monitored by video and her phone calls recorded, according to the filing.

Judge Alvin K Hellerstein has yet to rule on the application.

Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, have been held in US custody since the January raid on their home in Caracas. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges of participating in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the US.

AN emotional Michael Owen has revealed his son’s eye condition has left him so blind he has to ‘cut his food for him’.

The former England footballer has four children with his wife Louise, including son James, 20.

James was diagnosed with Stargardt disease – a degeneration of his retina, and in 2019, Michael revealed his son was “clinically blind”.

During an appearance on the Great Company podcast this week, Michael, 46, opened up to Jamie Laing about James and his condition.

He said: “I look at it and think, do you know what, every time we sit at a restaurant, he’s by my side.

“Because I read him the menu and I need to cut his food, because he can’t.

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“Whenever we’re watching racing, he’s by my side because I’m giving a commentary.

“Whenever he wants to go…he needs his dad to take him. I’m his taxi driver.”

Michael continued: “I get to spend three times more time with my lad because he’s got an eye condition.

“Now I might be a selfish b*****d but I think that is…I love it and I wouldn’t want it any different.

“And of course I’d give my eyes to him in an instant, if we could swap, of course I would. But let’s take the positive, he is so bright, he just doesn’t sit back and pity himself.

“In fact it’s quite the opposite, he gets out there and he laughs at himself.”

While Michael is clearly proud of James and his other children, daughters Gemma, Jessica and Emily, he also admitted on the podcast that he doesn’t tell them he loves them.

He said: “I never ever tell my kids I love them. I don’t say anything like that.

“I just assume my actions would show them that I love them. It’s a bad thing. I think most of us are like that.”

Former footballer Michael Owen has thrown the doors open in his new reality series

Viewers tuning in to Michael Owen’s new reality show have been left curious about his son James Owen’s eye condition.

Six-part series Meet the Owens landed on Prime Video today (August 28) and gives audiences a candid insight into the life and family of former footballer-turned-racehorse owner Michael, his wife Louise and their four children Jessica, Emily, James and Gemma. Episode three shines a spotlight on 20-year-old James as it’s revealed that Michael’s son is clinically blind and suffers from a rare, degenerative eye condition.

During the episode, James and his parents all separately open up about their thoughts and feelings about the condition. Many people are curious to know more about the condition – here’s what James has said about it as well as the condition itself.

Michael Owen’s son James’ eye condition explained

James suffers from Stargardt disease, which is a hereditary eye disorder that progressively gets worse. The condition means that he has limited vision, restricted to his peripheral vision.

According to the NHS ’ Moorfields Eye Hospital states: “Stargardt disease is a rare inherited condition affecting one in 8,000 to 10,000 people.” The site goes on to state: “In Stargardt’s the light-sensitive layer of cells in the macular region of the eye degenerate.

“The macular is the area at the back of the eye which is responsible for the fine detailed vision necessary for activities such as watching TV and reading.” The symptoms of Stargardt disease typically develop before the age of 20.

James, who was born with Stargardt disease, only discovered he had the condition when he was just eight after a teacher called his parents into school and told them that their child might be struggling to see at school. It later took the family a while to get the diagnosis.

James said: “Obviously, as you can imagine, it’s been tough growing up. It’s not good in the centre of the view and it makes it hard for me to look straight.” He went on to say: “Quite often people think I’m rude for not keeping eye contact. I’m actually looking at them in the clearest way I possibly can.”

In a heartbreaking admission, James said he’d always wanted to be a professional footballer like his father but his dreams were shattered by the diagnosis. James explained: “That was my dream, to follow my dad’s footsteps: to be a footballer and make a great career.”

He went on to say: “To have a realisation that it’s not possible, it kills you. It used to break my heart.” James added: “Every day coming back from school and I just used to cry and I used to think life was unfair.”

He now works as a trader online, buying and selling gold by himself. However, James said he wanted to put back into his father’s horse racing business Manor House Stables at some point in the future.

Ex-England and Liverpool player Michael, 46, also admitted he felt guilty about his son’s condition because it was genetic. Michael said: “We made James and I don’t think I’d be normal if I didn’t put myself in the mirror and think, ‘You know, it’s down to us that he’s got this eye condition.’”

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The footballing legend continued: “So I did feel guilty for a little while and could say I still feel guilty now.” Nonetheless, Michael said he was looking at the “positives with him” and then the “guilty sort of evaporates”.

Meet the Owens also sees his daughter and Love Island star Gemma taking on her first race after coming from a background in dressage. Gemma had to undergo rigorous training to become a jockey as she planned to take part in the charity race. Moreover, the series sees Michael trying to make a success of Manor House Stables and trying to turn a profit by finding investors to put their money into his business.

Meet the Owens is streaming on Prime Video now

Aug. 27 (UPI) — The family of King Harald V of Norway gathered at his bedside in an Oslo hospital on Thursday with the Royal Household saying the 89-year-old’s condition was “extremely serious.”

Royal family members were seen arriving by car at Oslo University Hospital, including daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit, with Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon canceling all royal engagements.

Norwegian media reported that Princess Astrid, Harald’s sister, was also in attendance.

NRK, the state-owned broadcast network, said the people of Norway should brace for “the worst.”

“The whole nation is with us as we send warm thoughts to the king and the rest of the royal family,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement.

The king has been hospitalized for the past 10 days due to complications related to haemolytic anaemia, a rare blood condition where red blood cell attrition exceeds the rate at which they can be replaced, causing fatigue and breathing difficulties.

His condition unexpectedly worsened on Monday and deteriorated still further overnight.

The king has been hit by succession of health issues dating back to 2024 when he had a pacemaker fitted after being taken ill in Malaysia during a holiday, leading to him partially stepping back from royal duties in line with his advanced agee, including a “permanent reduction” in his public engagements.”

He was hospitalized for an infection and dehydration in February during a private visit to Tenerife with Queen Sonja, who is also 89.

His son, Prince Haakon, 53, is next in line in the succession.

There has never been any hint Harald might abdicate to allow Prince Haakon to take over, having long argued that the oath he took before the Norwegian Parliament when he ascended the throne in 1991 was for life.