I'm currently living for a couple of weeks with my husband and kids on a Stone Age living skills centre in the depths of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We're sleeping in a tent despite the snow and there are bears, mountain lions, coyotes and all sorts of other wild animals padding past us each night while we sleep. In the day we collect firewood and edible plants for dinner, practice making fire by friction and our knife carving skills. Most days I try to nip down the road to get some Internet connection in order to check my emails and respond to the more important ones... Mainly those concerning hyperemesis gravidarum sufferers, past, present and future.

Today my 6 year old son achieved something amazing. He carved a spoon from a piece of wood using his pen knife. It has taken him three whole days of fairly constant work. He has blisters on his little hands and his arm is aching. But it was worth it. It is beautiful. And it is practical! Rob and I supported him, we helped a little with the curvy neck bit and I gouged out the bowl with the finger slicing crook knife but mainly we just supported and encouraged. I am so so so proud of his achievement.

He really persevered with the task, through the tough bits and the cuts and the sores. Early on with his lump of wood - a half log you would throw on the fire - it didn't resemble a spoon in the slightest and the task looked almost impossible, he didn't lose hope. He just sat by the fire and pressed on. And with each stroke of his knife on the hard, dry wood the spoon came a little more into his sight. In the middle, when you could sort of see the shape but there was still an awfully long way to go doing more of the same, he didn't get bored, he kept on carving, through snow and wind and hail. Towards the end when the spoon shape was there but he then had four rounds of sanding to go before it was finished he didn't give up, or try to rush through it. He worked carefully with the different grades of sand paper to get the beautiful smooth finish it deserved.

When it was finally finished I helped him carve an A on the top for Alfie, we stained it with charcoal to show it up. We washed the spoon, oiled it and he ate his dinner with it tonight. And as he ate with his hard earned spoon I looked around at my three beautiful children. Perseverance paid off.

I will continue to persevere on behalf of hyperemesis gravidarum sufferers around the world until I have achieved my goals. This Thursday, 15th May, is International Hyperemesis Awareness Day, it is also my daughters 2nd Birthday. I am raising awareness here on the Stone Age Living Skills centre with a Big Brew event of tea, cakes and talk. For those of you still pregnant, just focus on persevering, but for those of you who have suffered in the past... Persevere with me.

It's no wonder Alfie worked so hard and endured so much for his spoon... He's a Hyperemesis Survivor!