News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Jill-Lizzie-and-Anna-Williams-main_article_image.jpg
Anna Williams
UK News

Jesus central in my life, says mother of 100 bone fractures family

Jill Williams from Worthing in West Sussex and her 21 year old twin daughters, Lizzie and Anna, live with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease.

Lizzie (pictured left above), who is now a wheelchair racer and hopes to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, has endured 60 fractures, while Jill has suffered 40 and Anna has experienced 15.

Jill told Premier Christian Radio: "Having a Christian faith is a central part of my life. There have been times when God has intervened directly to safeguard me from potentially serious injury, and for this I will always be grateful."

Anna Williams

Only learning to walk unaided when she was 16 years old, Jill was regularly in and out of hospital when she was younger, averaging around four fractures a year.

Since entering her 40s, Jill's condition has deteriorated as her bone density has fall, and she keeps a wheelchair available on standby. 

The 56 year old added: "There has never been a point in my life where I wish I had not been born. In fact, people with a brittle bone disease tend to have a real desire to achieve."

Her daughter, Lizzie required a major four-hour operation when she was 17 to insert metal rods and screws into her back after doctors discovered a spinal fracture had gone undetected for seven years.

Speaking about learning at the age of 16 she had broken her back when she was nine, Lizzie said: "I'd taken a tumble in my living room.

"It had always hurt, but I only learnt it was broken after a scan at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London which I'd had after complaining of pains."

Brittle bone disease is a hereditary condition affecting around one in 15,000 people in the UK and it can affect sufferers to different degrees.

Explaining how brittle bones has affected her at university where she is studying nutrition, Anna said: "It's hard to explain to people why I'm always in and out of hospital. I worry about what they think.

"Being able to moan about aches and pains with Lizzie is nice. She has a strong and fierce attitude, which helped her live with her back pain."

Jill, Lizzie and Anna have been sharing about living with brittle bone disease after returning earlier this year from a surprise trip to New York, organised by the charity Dreams Come True.

Jill said: "Lizzie asked me if I could go anywhere in the world, where I'd go, and I said New York and Niagara Falls in Canada.

"A few months later, the twins surprised me by revealing that they'd applied to Dreams Come True and were to make my dream a reality this June."

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate