MBE for child support work

Tracey Whitewood-Neal from Bexhill, moved the hearts of the nation last summer when Bexhillian Julia Stovell's Channel 4 documentary, The Boy With Proteus Syndrome, was screened.

Julia was inspired to make the documentary after reading in the Bexhill Observer about Jordan's plight and his mother's struggles on his behalf.

The citation for Tracey's New Year Honour refers specifically to her work as a higher executive officer with the Child Support Agency in Hastings, work which is closely linked to the needs of children.

But in addition to her professional life, Tracey also copes with being a wife and mother plus Jordan's exceptional needs.

On top of this, for the past eight years Tracey has been chairman of the national Proteus Syndrome Foundation, campaigning not only on behalf of 10 year-old Jordan but for others like him who have the painful and crippling condition.

Tracey was shown not only taking Jordan to the football which he loves but to innumerable appointments with doctors and specialists - notably with Dr Leslie Biesecker at the National Institute for Health in the USA.

Among those who have come to know the family best is Harold Lawrence, founder of the 1066 Specials Football Club which offers training to youngsters with special needs. Jordan is an enthusiastic member.

Harold said: "I am absolutely delighted for Tracey. I think it is a wonderful thing.

"I don't know much about her professional life, but this honour underlines how well she has managed to combine those duties with the responsibilities of her home life.

"What has always impressed me is that Tracey is always so calm, so serene, in the way she deals with her problems.

"Considering all that she copes with, she has a great sense of humour.

"Her attitude to Jordan and that of her husband Daan is to treat Jordan as an ordinary kid. This means that Jordan communicates with other kids on an equal basis.

"Her's is a remarkable achievement and I congratulate her."

In an Observer interview in 2004 Tracey summed-up her approach to coping with her exacting lifestyle: "You just have to get on with it, don't you?"