Health

Rob Thomas (right), 44, from Pembroke Dock, Wales, was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease - an illness which causes cysts to develop in the organs six years ago. It makes them swell up to four times their normal size and become up to 100 times heavier - causing pain, fatigue and eventually kidney failure. Currently, he only has 25 per cent kidney function and may need dialysis within just two years if his condition worsens. To make matters worse, it was discovered recently that his two young daughters Ruby, 10, and Abby, 6, (both left) have both inherited the condition.

Kathleen Torres, 29, from Grafton, Ohio, noticed the unusual shape of her son Caleb's head after he was born (pictured right together after surgery) - but dismissed it as bruising from the delivery. The back of his skull was elongated and rectangular, while his forehead was pointed (left). She hoped it would even out over time, but decided to take him for tests when he was four months old to be sure it was normal. Doctors revealed he had craniosynostosis - a condition where the bones in the skull fuse prematurely before the baby's brain has had chance to fully grow - after a CT scan (inset). The mother-of-four was told he needed life-saving surgery to reshape his head or risk permanent brain damage.

FEMAIL has found the same foods vary dramatically in terms of nutritional content according to which restaurant you go to after it compared six foods at six different chains. From left to right: Burger King had the unhealthiest chocolate milkshake (610 calories), while Five Guys' Cheeseburger contained more calories than any other at 830 calories. McDonald's Crispy Chicken Salad topped the list as it contains 265 calories, while Five Guys' fries were the unhealthiest, containing 953 calories. Burger King had the unhealthiest chicken burger, as its royale contains 570 calories. And McDonald's had the worst caramel sundae, containing 344 calories.

The 42-year-old British-Australian singer made his name flashing his abs in music videos for his hits Mysterious Girl and Flava. But he claims that was nothing, now he feels fitter than ever - despite eating chocolate every day and spending no more than 45 minutes in the gym at a time. Once a year he does a juice-only detox, to balance out his regular McDonald's cravings, and he rarely drinks alcohol.

Roman Allen (right), from Milton Keynes, has suffered with eczema on his face since he was six months old. But his mother, Danielle (left), 25, says her son - whose cheeks crack and bleed as a result of the skin condition - regularly gets shunned in the street by strangers who accuse him of being 'contagious'. Some parents even recoil from Roman if they see him close by - snatching their own children away - wrongly fearing they will contract his condition. Mrs Allen, 25, said: 'I just wish people would stop treating my son like some kind of modern day leper.'

A 60-year-old woman has described her joy after delivering healthy twin boys. Claudette Cook married her husband Ross, 55, 10 years ago after meeting in church in Pike County, Indiana.  A year later she was told, at the age of 51, that she was too old to have children. Now, after exploring all kinds of assisted reproductive technology, the couple have become parents through IVF.

Everyone should be taking Vitamin D pills according to health chiefs, to improve our bones and muscles and Public Health England advises taking a 10 microgram daily supplement. Six volunteers, including vegan Tony Bishop Weston (left), fitness fan Clare Delmar (second left), coffee drinker Paul Longmire (centre left), sun worshipper Gemma Johnson (centre right), office worker Susanna Murray-Burton (second right) and skincare queen Kathryn Cheston (right), took part in a test. They all took a blood test during August - when levels should have been the highest - to see if they were deficient in Vitamin D.

Megan Sargeant, 17, from Bagnall, Staffordshire, suffered life-changing injuries (right) after being involved in a car accident while on holiday in Florida in July last year. The student was put in a coma for five weeks to help her try to recover from her severe brain injury and fractured spine, pelvis and leg. Doctors revealed she may never regain consciousness. But after a grueling 18 month recovery, the keen ballet dancer (left) took part in her first public recital since the crash. Despite still needing the support of a leg splint, Megan is now working hard to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a ballerina following her recovery.

Lucinda Smith, 43, (pictured left and right with her children George, six, and Megan, nine) from Billericay, Essex, visited the doctor a few days after a minor scrape but was sent home. Three days later, she visited the local accident and emergency department where a simple blood test established she had contracted sepsis, a form of blood poisoning. She was placed on intravenous antibiotics immediately but was soon taken on to a critical ward, and died two days later.

Maria Harris, 29, from Portsmouth, was rushed to hospital after her waters broke after just 32 weeks in November 2014. Baby Jack was born 22 minutes after she arrived at the maternity ward (pictured left together) - preventing doctors from administering steroids to help him breathe. He spent five weeks in an incubator to help him develop (inset) - as he weighed just 4lbs 1oz upon arrival. Mrs Harris stayed with him for the first three days but then had to leave without him - causing her to feel 'deprived' of her own child. Jack was then discharged from hospital at Christmas. He has not suffered any long-term damage (pictured right earlier this year) but the family say they are scared of having a second child.

A baby boy was born with a medical condition so rare that stunned doctors at London's top Great Ormond Street Hospital had never seen it before. Tiny Raymond Dean (pictured with parents Billie and James, from Norwich) is one of the few people anywhere in the world to have been born with Currariano Triad - which is almost unheard of. The tot was born (pictured inset) with a deformed rectum that stopped him defecating, an abscess on his perinaeum and severe problems with his tailbone. But seven months on Mrs Dean said their pride and joy little boy is 'thriving' - despite the everyday challenge of having to live with a colostomy bag.

Nicola Money, 26, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with the auto immune disorder, Susac syndrome, which is thought to affect just three people in the UK. Doctors initially thought she had multiple sclerosis or meningitis before they diagnosed the rare condition. She forgot how to talk and walk and the condition also robbed her of five years of memories. She has no recollection of going to Paris (right) and struggles to recognise people in the street. But she has managed to re-learn how to walk and talk and now has a job in insurance.

In a BBC2 documentary about her child Olly, 12, actress Sally Phillips said those who find out they are carrying a baby with the condition are too often pressurised by doctors to terminate their pregnancy. The programme, to be screened on Wednesday night, is provocatively titled A World Without Down's Syndrome? and explores the rewards of parenting a disabled child, as Miss Phillips meets different people with the condition (left and right). Jane Fisher (inset), of the support group Antenatal Results and Choices, said: 'It risks offering the suggestion to those who have decided (to have an abortion) that they have made the wrong decision.'

Joe Partridge, 32, from Manchester, saved little Dylan Bennett's life after his stems cells cured the youngster of a rare disease called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Father-of-two Mr Partridge donated his stem cells which were taken from his blood were transfused into Dylan (right) to cure a rare immune disorder. Even more remarkably, at the time the two were complete strangers. Last weekend, surrounded by their families, Dylan and Joe, an engineer, met for the first time, and The Mail on Sunday was invited to witness the moment (left). Dylan, who was two when he received the transplant, had a gift for his donor - a toy lion wearing a T-shirt with the words My Hero Joe. Thanks For Saving Me.

Adele Clay (right), 25, from Stockport, was taken to hospital after her heart rate dropped to a dangerous level as a result of hypothermia as a result of her anorexia. Her drastic weight loss had caused a reduction in her fat cells - the body's natural insulation method. Her mother, Yvonne (left, pictured together), 47, claims her condition became so bad that many hospitals had turned her down for being 'too unwell'. She made desperate pleas in a heart-breaking video before her daughter - who has suffered with eating disorders since she was 12 - was eventually offered a bed at a specialist clinic in London.

Rachel Cunningham, 12, from London, went to school complaining of a headache in February. She collapsed after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage and needed emergency surgery.

In the final part of DR MICHAEL MOSLEY'S eight week diet plan, he offers his top tips for long-term success and recipes for weekend dinners and brunches. including steak strips, pictured left, Moroccan meatballs, bottom right and egg muffins, top right.

Maureen Barnett, was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2003 and developed Alzheimer's three years ago. The family, from Somerset, said it as though 'a happy switch' is permanently on. Daughter Michelle Pattenden, pictured with her mother, said the 65-year-old was always friendly but now 'appreciates everything'. She said: 'It's wonderful. She goes for a walk and she points out beautiful flowers or trees.'

Melissa Mead, 29, from Penryn, Cornwall, gave birth to Arthur 'William' (right) earlier this week. But she says the joyous occasion was tinged with sadness that he will never get to meet his older brother. The family's first-born William (inset and left with Mrs Mead) died in 2014 aged just 12 months when a string of NHS failures led to his case of sepsis not being properly recognised. A report into his death criticised GPs, out-of-hours services and a 111 call handler who failed to spot the symptoms. But Mrs Mead launched a successful campaign to bring about changes to legislation in the hope of avoiding future deaths.

Mark Camamile, 33, from Nottingham, was rushed to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after his lips turned blue and he collapsed. He awoke from a medically-induced coma to discover he had both legs and right hand amputated after contracting the blood poisoning infection septicaemia (right, with son Kealen and daughter Chloe, in hospital). He and awoke from a medically-induced coma. Mr Camamile's work colleagues raised £27,000 in just 5 days so he could be fitted with the life-changing tool (left, with mother Joy and wife Wendy). He said: I've been playing around with the hand and can't believe how well I've taken to it.'

Mark Bradley's kidney - given to him by his mother Evelyn in 1992 (pictured right together on the front of their local newspaper) - began to fail last year, causing him to have headaches and feel sick. The 54-year-old, from Carnforth, Lancashire, was put on the donor register and his family were tested in an attempt to find a new organ. Eventually his daughter Georgia (pictured together left), 31, was found to be match and donated her kidney to help him get better. Mr Bradley had his first transplant at the age of 30 after both his kidneys failed. He had been on dialysis for four months until his mother was able to donate one of her kidneys to him (inset, the family 24 years ago).

Many are questioning the ethics of the decision to offer the NIPT test to all pregnant women on the NHS, including Nicola Sparrow (bottom right), of Tadworth, Surrey, pictured with daughter Lily. Sarah Costerton, from Sutton, (pictured top right with her daughter Beth), and Beth Butler, from Corfe Mullen, Dorset, (main with her son Seth) are both also delighted they kept their babies.

Poppy Hughes, 22, from Liverpool, saw her weight rocket to 14 stone 8 lbs and a size 16 (left). But after a music producer told her she needed to lose weight for a music video she finally hit the gym. 'I always remember being asked to record a song,' she recalled. 'The producer said to me that if it was going to go to video, I needed to lose weight. His words struck a nerve with Poppy, who said: 'I obviously wasn't happy with the way I looked - I used to cry in the mirror every day and cry to my mum.' She eventually hit the gym (inset) and mastered the art of portion control to lose five stone in just over a year.

Rachel Kierstenson (pictured left during pregnancy), 37, from Hertford, was diagnosed with cancer after finding a lump in her right breast. She was given the all clear just months later but the damaging effects of chemotherapy (inset) meant her chances of having a family were slim. Doctors warned that even if she did fall pregnant, the cancer, which is triggered by a change in hormones, may return and put her life in danger. Despite the risks, Mrs Kierstenson and husband, Michael, 36, were desperate to have a baby and began trying to conceive naturally. Two years later the couple turned to IVF and after just one round, she became pregnant and gave birth to son, Logan (right).