I was a very young patient on the children's ward six. I celebrated my seventh birthday there and my eighth as well.

I remember the lovely Sister Denny, who was pictured alongside the article. She used to spoil me rotten and look after me at the same time. I wanted for nothing when I was on ward six.

Sister Denny used to have a toy set and she used to let me play with it whenever I was very low.

I was born in 1943, a very sick child, and doctors told my mum to put me in a corner and forget about me and concentrate on my brothers and sisters because they did not know what was the matter with me and she would never rear me.

Just by chance an American doctor was on the ward and told the staff to give me a blood transfusion to build me up. He thought I might have coeliac disease and that would be the first step forward.

It turned out he was right, but it took two blood transfusions as the first in my leg failed so I had one in my arm. It proved successful and helped me on the road to recovery.

But coeliac concerns food intolerance and just after the war, when food was in very short supply, the food I was eating was making me even more ill. It must have been a struggle for my mum because if I was not being sick I had the runs.

I did not go to school full time until I was 11 years old and I had to bring my school milk home to be boiled. To this day I don't drink cold milk and I am on a gluten and wheat, malt and barley-free diet.

I am 65 years young now and I still go to hospital for my 12 month MoT. Coeliac is treatable today and it can be diagnosed with a simple blood test but in the 40s and 50s it was very hard to treat.

I am one of ten children and the only one with this disease – I would not wish it on anyone.

I had a lot of motherly love and good medical treatment then and now. Seeing Sister Denny's photo brought it all back and I realise how lucky I am.

(Mrs) Marion Fisher