Reggie Bird has shared several heartbreaking updates after his teenage son was admitted to hospital earlier this month.
The two-time Big Brother winner, 49, shared earlier this month with her 47,800 Instagram followers that her son Lucas, 13 – who has cystic fibrosis – had been suffering from a “crappy cough since Christmas”.
He was admitted to the Queensland Children’s Hospital at the time of his post.
“We did everything we could to try to achieve this! “But that doesn’t change,” she wrote in her caption at the time.
On Wednesday, Reggie shared another update that Lucas had another PICC (central peripheral catheter) line inserted, something he’s had several times over the years while he was very ill.
Reggie Bird has shared several heartbreaking updates after his teenage son was admitted to hospital earlier this month.
“Everything went well with the piccline,” Reggie explained on March 12. “His arm is a little sore and he took two subways in the afternoon.”
Another post showed her former Big Brother co-star, Farmer Dave Graham, visiting the mother and son in hospital.
“A special visitor came to see me and Lucas here at the hospital this evening. I love you buddy,” Reggie shared.
Reggie’s latest update revealed Lucas had been transferred to Gold Coast Hospital.
On March 8, the Big Brother winner shared with her 47,800 Instagram followers that her son Lucas, 13, who has cystic fibrosis, had been suffering from a “crappy cough since Christmas.”
On Wednesday, Reggie shared another update that Lucas had another PICC (central peripheral catheter) line inserted, something he’s had several times over the years while he was very ill.
“Hi everyone, just an update for those worried about Lucas, he has been transferred to Gold Coast Hospital where his father is with him,” she wrote.
“He’s fine just for a tune-up, nothing to worry about… It’s normal for those living with cystic fibrosis to be admitted several times during their life.”
Reggie concluded: “It gets them back on track, it’s like having grease and oil for your car.”
Last year, the reality TV star admitted she felt “guilty” over her teenage son’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis, which she unknowingly passed on to him.
“I’ve always had this guilt about passing this disease on to Lucas, so I feel guilty for passing it on to him and I would do anything to take it away, but I can’t. It’s depressing.” , she admitted during the Dr. Golly and the experts podcast in October.
Another post showed her former Big Brother co-star, Farmer Dave Graham (right), visiting mother and son in hospital.
Lucas was diagnosed with the genetic condition when he was four weeks old and since then, Bird says she has fought a “tough” battle to keep her 14-year-old son alive.
“It affects the whole digestive system and it affects the liver, the kidneys, everything in the body,” she explained.
Lucas requires daily physiotherapy and must take medication, which can be up to thirty tablets a day.
She said the illness had taken a toll on her family and she now regretted not spending more time with her eldest daughter Mia, 16.
Bird also has his own health issues to deal with, and is legally blind after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment.
Reggie made history when she became the first reality TV star to win Big Brother twice, the first time in 2003 (pictured) and again in 2022.
She also suffers from Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects both hearing and vision.
Reggie made history by becoming the first reality TV star to win Big Brother twice, the first time in 2003 and again in 2022.
Despite winning $250,000 in prize money during the 2003 and 2022 seasons of Big Brother, the TV personality has struggled financially over the years.
She had already responded to her detractors who doubted her poor state of health in an interview with TV week.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, she’s pretending.'” Who would want to pretend to be blind? she told the publication.
The former fish and chip shop manager, who says her outlook is now like looking through a straw, added: “They don’t know me or the challenges I face every day.
“I think people who leave comments like that are in trouble.”