Well, he was normal for the first 12 hours, then he started to get blisters
just in different areas, on his bottom. We weren't alarmed initially.
We thought, oh maybe it's just an allergy to some baby wash the hospital was using.
The doctor that delivered Dean had said
he had seen a child born with EB years previous
and the child only lived for ten days.
I always had trouble coming to terms with it a lot.
Thinking of the only son I'll ever have, and don't know how long he'll be here for.
It's known in the medical books as epidermolysis bullosa.
It's more commonly referred to as 'Cotton Wool Babies'.
My skin takes a long time, if at all, for it to repair and re-heal itself and regenerate.
I can remember growing up everything was different for me.
Like I can remember very vividly, I'd go to shops with mum and with my family
and people would notice me, more so than they'd notice any other family member.
Or family friends, their children at times would be scared to be around me
because at my worst, my face was very disfigured. I had very little skin at all on my face.
I even find today if you go out somewhere, it's best not to look at people.
Everyone's going to look and that's quite natural, we do it ourselves.
So it saves a little bit of heartache if you just concentrate on what you're doing.
It's a three, three and a half hour routine every morning, which is very tiring.
He has to soak his bandages off in the bath, and then it's a matter of re-bandaging him
making him as comfortable as possible.
Anywhere where you grip or grab hold of anything can pretty much weaken the skin.
The morning routine is critical to you to find every new problem, isolate it, treat it
bandage it up like my hands and my arms to get the skin working as good as it possibly can be.
And then I'll take my first step for the day, and that process is usually the most painful.
I have great difficulties even after the mornings are done at times with buttering bread and making sandwiches.
But yet I can go lift weights at the gym, and throw dumbbells around like it's candy and with no issues.
I want to protect him, I still want to protect him.
But he has just climbed so many mountains with his weight lifting.
It gives him something not just every person can do.
It's been great, because the body hasn't let me participate in many, in any sports, really, growing up.
It was always watching Greg and other mates. So now I've got this.
It gives him a bit of purpose to life as well. It's a way to channel, to keep a positive
because other than that, what do you really have to do?
The very first day I did it, we did it without any weight at all - just the bar itself.
I did that no worries, and then we put a little bit of weight and by the end of the session I was lifting 60kgs.
And at the time I weighed like 65kgs!
We all, we both just stopped in amazement
and I can remember I came home and I said to Mum and Dad what I did
and they thought I was crazy, and they thought it was ridiculous.
It's just amazing that I've gone from the really weak, sick child that used to be in and out of hospital
to, now it's been like five, six years maybe longer since I've needed any hospital treatment.
And I've continued to just get so much stronger, and so much healthier.
Yeah I don't know how he would go in a relationship. Living independently does depend on the individual.
It could happen. If Dean can do what he does in his life now, anything is possible.
But I don't see it happening in the foreseeable future.
I've been in a couple of situations over the years, where I've met some amazing girls and amazing ladies.
But it's always been too difficult for them to get their head around the, yeah life would be different.
It wouldn't be the classic picture that is portrayed on TV.
And I've got a heck of a lot to offer from that point of view
It's just a matter of finding the right person, who's willing to look past all that and give things a try.
- G'day, how are you? - Come in, how have you been?
Really good at the moment.
I think that basically Dean is one of those unique cases that has made it very far.
And in terms of life expectancy and health
to hear someone bench-pressing 147 kilos, and keeping a very active lifestyle
and I gotta say to you, take away the skin
and you will have someone who is very healthy.
He does have ulcers in the hands and he does not have any nails as a result of the EB
so there's that concern, but then the question is, what is the option?
Not to fulfil his dreams, not to pursue what he wants?
He doesn't have to say the medical concern has to put aside.
I said to Dean, the sky's the limit for you mate. You go for it.
Yeah, good to see you!
He's really outshone everything, we never would have expected him to do what he's doing
and be who he is today. Never.
Whatever happens, happens you know from one day to the next.
I love being able to share my story, I'm not trying to be anything other than just myself.
Share my story, talk about the highs and the lows and everything in between.
And hopefully make that lightbulb go on for someone else who is struggling
and see a way for them to get out and chase their dreams.