Reggie Sorensen – better known as Reggie Bird – has shared a sweet birthday tribute to her son Lucas, who has cystic fibrosis.
Posting a photo of Lucas at the beach, the Big Brother alum wrote: “Happy 15th birthday to my beautiful CF warrior Lucas 🥰
“It’s always an extra special day celebrating your time here 🥳🥳🥳
“Love ya.”
Fans took to the comments to share their support.
“Happy birthday Lucas 🎂🎉 he looks very much like you in this photo Reggie,” one wrote.
Reggie welcomed her first child, Mia, 14, four years after Big Brother with her second husband, Dale Sorensen. Three years after that, the couple had Lucas.
She previously explained to our sister site Now To Love that CF comes with daily physiotherapy and medication to help Lucas digest food and break down mucus from his lungs.
“It’s mentally and physically draining on Lucas so I have to stay strong for him. It’s a constant battle to try to get weight on him so he has to drink supplements and have a diet high in calories and fat. I hope he will live past the 37 years of expected time.”
Reggie has also dealt with her own health issues.
Just a year after her season of Big Brother, she was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa and is now legally blind.
“I’ve lost my peripheral vision and I’ve got 10 degrees of central vision left. I have no night vision,” she said during The Daily Edition in 2016.
Due to her age and the invisible nature of the ailment, Reggie has been on the receiving end of certain personal misconceptions.
“Sometimes when I forget to take my cane to the shops and I bang into people… they look at me because I’m so young and just think I’m being rude,” she explained.
“Even when you’re getting a taxi – I’ve had a few say, ‘you’re only going up the road, why can’t you walk?’ Things like that upset me.”
Reggie also suffered a stroke in 2017 as a result of a heart condition.
“They told me I have a hole in my heart. I was literally heartbroken. But it makes sense now, why I’m always so tired and unwell,” she divulged to our sister site Woman’s Day the following year.
