I was rather moved by this piece on David and Samantha Cameron by his biographer . It should be read in full.
This stood out:
Friends would be shocked at how totally dependent Ivan was on the love and care of those around him. And he had that in buckets. Cameron would stare into his eyes, never patronise him and keep him involved. Visitors would call the scene "beautiful", "touching" or "humbling". Dr Mando Watson, Ivan's consultant paediatrician, described his parents as "wonderful, absolutely extraordinary" for the way they doted on him, yet not at the expense of their other children. The parents of a newborn baby know the feeling of total dependency that a baby feels towards them, and the protectiveness that this engenders. He was rarely out of touching distance. Ivan grew in stature, but in no other respect. If anything, his parents' protectiveness would have grown.
Most babies can gurgle, cry, demand food. Ivan was totally immobile, at times incapable even of smiling. Yet his parents made him central to the family conversation. Unconditional love was the only sort that could keep him alive. One left-leaning professional sceptic who happened to catch the family unawares one day reported that "no child could have got more than that child got ... They just seem loving, committed, great parents".
On Tuesday our thoughts will be with the Cameron family. Let us pray that the media stay away.
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