Emmerdale star ‘burst into tears’ while hearing worst news while pregnant
Emmerdale's Laura Norton has revealed it's her 'life's mission' to find a cure for Usher syndrome after her children were born with the condition.
Laura burst into tears upon hearing the “heartbreaking” news (Image: ITVBe)
Emmerdale’s Laura Norton has been suffering every parent’s worst nightmare. She received the tragic news that her 18-month-old son Jesse had been diagnosed with Usher Syndrome.
Usher syndrome is a rare inherited genetic disease that causes vision loss, hearing loss and, sometimes, balance issues. It is present from birth but can take years for symptoms to appear and is usually diagnosed in older children or teenagers. It was only when Jesse failed his newborn hearing test shortly after birth that Laura, 40, and her fiancé Mark Jordon, 59, knew something was wrong.
Nurses thought it could be fluid in the ears initially, but Jesse’s hearing loss was diagnosed at three months. Doctors then carried out a genetic test, with the results confirming Jesse had Usher syndrome when he was 18 months old, when Laura was pregnant with Ronnie.
Laura, who plays Kerry Wyatt on the ITV soap, burst into tears upon hearing the “heartbreaking” news. She and Mark went home and straight onto Google, against doctors’ advice.
Laura with her two children Jesse and Ronnie (Image: Instagram )
“There was lots of jargon, it was scary stuff. You see the word blind and you think, ‘Oh my god.’”
Doctors said the odds of Ronnie developing Usher syndrome were one in four. Confirmation of her positive diagnosis arrived when she was two months old after her genetic test was fast-tracked.
However, both children are “smashing all their milestones”.
During an episode of ITVBe’s Drama Queens, the Emmerdale star discussed the diagnosis which has affected her children Jesse, three, and Ronnie, 18 months and revealed it’s her “life’s mission” to find a cure for Usher syndrome
“Throughout this last year we have dedicated every waking minute that I am not at my actual job that I get paid for, we are doing something to do with the charity [Cure Usher].
“It isn’t just for our children now. We are doing this for a lot of other people I feel like it’s my life mission – I am not going to stop until we find a cure.
Laura and her fiancé Mark Jordon met with two sisters affected by the condition (Image: ITVBe)
Laura and her fiancé Mark Jordon, 59, detailed the impact it had on their family as they met with two sisters – Laura, who has Usher syndrome and Hannah, who does not – to see if it had made their lives any different.
Speaking to the sisters, Mark said: “I feel so blessed having spent that time with you. Especially us as parents. Watching you both together has been an absolute asset.”
Laura added: “That independence and the way you live your life. It melts the fear.”
Mark then continued: “It is something we are about to experience much further down the line but I don’t feel as anxious as a parent. It is just so normal.
“There is no cure for Usher Syndrome, until we find one together. There really could be.”