Her fear, known as emetophobia, means
that she obsessively cleans her home to rid it of germs that could make
her sick and washes her hands thirty times a day.
But perhaps the most significant impact
is that she has already given up on the chance to ever become a mother
because she is so terrified of morning sickness.
She met her current partner Dave
Robinson, 40, through her former husband Danny Howard, when they split
with in 2013, partly due to the fact he wanted children.
And Dave soon
realised the impact it would have on their lives after a condom split,
which sent Vicky into a total panic as she despaired over the idea of
morning sickness or even taking the morning after pill.
As she was lying on the floor trying to
build up the courage to swallow the pill which she feared may trigger a
gag reflex, Dave pledged to have a vasectomy.
Vicky said: ‘At first I tried to talk
him out of it, then I tried to push him away but he was determined and I
gave in. We both knew it was sensible if we wanted to be together.’
Dave, who is the last male Robinson in
his family, said: ‘I realise I’ve given up the chance to have children
if Vicky and I split but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. ‘I
don’t want to be without her.’
On top of that, she finds it difficult
to leave the house because of her agoraphobia, a fear of going outside
which meant she couldn’t even go and see her father in the days before
he died.
Dave has now given up his job as a
security guard to become her full-time carer, yet another sacrifice he
has had to make for love.
He must also learn to live in a
super-hygenic house, wiping down every surface and only bringing meat
inside if it is stored in the freezer.
Vicky was just 11 when she was diagnosed
with the disease after nearly choking on her own vomit. It came at a
difficult time after being sexually abused by a family friend and as her
parents got divorced.
The condition was so serious that she
was allowed to leave school at 14 and she has made numerous attempts to
overcome it, trying hypnotherapy, acupuncture and even paying £1,000 for
over-the-phone counselling from specialists in America.
However, she fears she will never conquer the disease as she watches friends move on with their lives and start families.
Vicky even said she would not be a good
mother in her current condition, admitting she would worry too much
about them falling ill and being sick.
Source: Irish Mirror
