The 2008 Star Woman of the Year will be crowned on Friday. In the build-up to the ceremony, we are profiling one of our eight finalists each day. Today we chat to a courageous woman who was warned she may not make it past her teenage years.
Annette McDonald was warned by doctors she may not make it past her teenage years. So the fact she is still going strong at the age of 40 - let alone in the running for a top county award - is something of a miracle.
The secretary, from Pool Road, Trench, Telford, was just five when a relatively routine tetanus jab resulted in her falling seriously ill with a rare skin disorder.
With her ulcerated body swathed in bandages, her early years were spent in and out of hospital - and education - while baffled medics tried to get to grips with the worsening condition.
Eventually, specialists at St John’s Skin Hospital in London diagnosed a rare complaint known to only a handful of people in the world at that time, which began eating away at her internal organs.
By her teens, the medical professionals believed Annette might not make adulthood, and she has endured a lifetime of major surgery - some of it life-threatening - including two tracheotomies to assist her breathing, and a lung biopsy in Birmingham.
With her oesophagus closing up, Annette could not eat for six years and had to live off liquid drinks. During that time she received treatment in Manchester to have it stretched every six weeks. Aged 32, she weighed just 6st.
Her voice box has been affected to the extent she speaks with a whisper, and she only began eating solids three years ago.
She explained: “I had a tracheotomy in 1987 when I had a serious infection, and my throat closed and could not breathe. I had the tracheotomy in situ for nine months, then had it removed. I have got scar tissue on my vocal chords, which is why I talk so quietly.
“I developed an oesophageal stricture in 2000 which prevented me from eating properly. I have to have my oesophagus stretched on a regular basis to enable me to eat.”
Despite her desperate struggle for life, she has built a career for herself and been employed at the Department of Social Security in Telford for more than 20 years. A born organiser, she has been secretary of the sports and social club for 15 years.
The Star Woman of the Year will be crowned at the Albrighton Hall Hotel near Shrewsbury tomorrow, where the guest speaker will be Ultimo fashion boss Michelle Mone. Do not miss Saturday’s Star for a full report and pictures!
Share this article:
What are these?