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Cystic Fibrosis is ghastly, ghastly.... Chancellor Gordon Brown's baby boy has cystic fibrosis Publisher: Jon Land Published: 30/11/2006 - 08:41:07 AM Printable version Gordon Brown's baby diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (Pic: PA) Relevant News Breakthrough in cystic fibrosis treatment? Lung disease 'kills one in five people in UK' Chancellor Gordon Brown has revealed that his four-month-old son James Fraser has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. A spokesman for the possible future prime minister said he and wife Sarah were informed their youngest son might have the condition shortly after his birth in July. The spokesman said: "While Gordon and Sarah's younger son, Fraser, has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, he is fit, healthy and making all the progress that you would expect any little boy to make. "They were told in late July that Fraser may have cystic fibrosis. Tests since then have confirmed this. "Thousands of other parents are in the same position. They are confident that the advice and treatments available, including proper exercise and, later, sporting activity will keep him fit and healthy. The spokesman added: "The NHS is doing a great job, and Gordon and Sarah are very optimistic that the advances being made in medicine will help him and many others, and they hope to be able to play their part in doing what they can to help others." Housing minister Yvette Cooper, a close friend of the Browns' along with her husband Economic Secretary Ed Balls, said they were a "strong and happy family". "Fraser's a lovely, bouncy healthy little boy. He's doing really well. This is the kind of thing that no parent obviously wants to hear, and it was the same for Gordon and Sarah in the summer. "But they're very optimistic and doing really well and medical advances obviously happen all the time. Ms Cooper told Sky News: "He's very strong and healthy and of course they are getting great support from the NHS to make sure he remains strong and healthy." Mr Brown and his wife were hit by tragedy in January 2002 when their first child, daughter Jennifer Jane, died just 10 days after her premature birth. But the couple were overjoyed in 2003 with the birth of their oldest son John and the family grew again in July of this year with the birth of James Fraser, weighing 7lb 14oz. Asked about the earlier tragedy, Mrs Cooper said: "I think obviously this is very different, Fraser is a lovely part of their family and they are all enjoying life and getting on with things, he's doing very well, this is a very different situation now." Conservative leader David Cameron's four-year-old son Ivan suffers from cerebral palsy. Ms Cooper added: "He's a delightful little boy, really bouncy and trying to stand up and lovely, and growing very well - in fact he's very big for his age." "I've seen him again this week, and we saw him obviously in August. He's a very bright, very bubbly little boy and doing very well." Ms Cooper said Fraser was a "lovely addition" to the Brown family. "Certainly Gordon and Sarah are getting all kinds of great support and advice from the experts in the NHS on this and that's why they're very optimistic, and that's why Fraser's doing so well because he's getting such good support from the NHS." She insisted that the Browns were coping well, despite the shock of the diagnosis: "Politicians are just the same as everyone else. Parents are just the same as everyone else. I think every parent thinks about things happening to their children or are worried about their children in exactly the same way. "I don't think that's any different for any politician really." She said tests on infants to identify cystic fibrosis had started being rolled out across the country over the past few years. James Fraser, known as Fraser by his family, was born at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on July 17. His brother John, now aged three, is said to have chosen the name Fraser, while James is a family name. Mr Brown is understood to be at 11 Downing Street with his family tonight. Tory leader David Cameron said: "Sam and I are thinking of Gordon and Sarah and their family at this time and we send them our best wishes for the future." Downing Street said anything Tony Blair said to Mr Brown was private. Ed Owen is a board member of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and has a four-year-old daughter with the condition. He is also a former adviser to Leader of the Commons Jack Straw, and knows Mr Brown. Mr Owen told Press Association he had spoken to the Chancellor, and could empathise with what the couple were going through. "Children with cystic fibrosis do have to undergo a daily regime of medication and therapy, but given the extraordinary development in treatments over recent years children can expect to live an extremely happy, active and in most ways normal life." Mr Owen said Mr Brown had helped raise funds for the Trust before Fraser was born. "He was always very supportive of the Trust and two years ago hosted a reception at Number 11. He made a speech and has been very supportive of efforts to raise funds. "It's something that he personally had been aware of through the charity work that he has been doing." Mr Cameron's son Ivan, born in 2001, has a rare condition that combines cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The Tory leader has said that when he and wife Sam found out Ivan was disabled it left him "in mourning". He told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs show in May: "It was almost like mourning the loss of something. You are mourning the gap between your expectations and what has happened." Mr Cameron has since insisted that he would never undermine the NHS after seeing the essential role it played for Ivan. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne tonight offered best wishes to his counterpart: "My thoughts and best wishes go to Gordon and Sarah and their family at this difficult time." Rosie Barnes, chief executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: "It is always a shock for a family when a child is diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and I am sure the Browns were no exception. "Being diagnosed this early is really important because treatment can be started immediately to minimise complications in future life. "The Cystic Fibrosis Trust has set up specialist centres across the UK to ensure the care provided is second to none. As a result, life expectancy for those with the disease is now better than ever, and many adults are living well into their 40s. "We really do believe that there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon we are closer than ever to finding an effective treatment for CF, using world leading gene therapy. This is a matter of time and effective funding." Copyright Press Association 2006. Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn