Oliver's illness could destroy Nick forever in Corrie

It’s been an emotional few weeks for Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) in Coronation Street after their son Oliver was rushed into intensive care after a series of very concerning seizures.

As Leanne and Steve join together to be there for their son, someone who is also by Oliver’s bedside is Leanne’s partner Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and as we saw last week, it would appear he too is finding everything incredibly difficult. As this hugely important storyline continues, just how will Oliver’s illness affect Nick?

Leanne and Steve have spent their time by by Oliver’s side hoping he would begin to grow stronger but when Oliver’s doctor told them that his condition was worse than they first thought and he might have mitochondrial disease, they were left devastated.

After Steve and Leanne jokingly reminisced over Oliver’s childhood during a recent episode, Nick took a more serious approach to the situation which left Leanne furious and she reminded Nick that he is not Oliver’s dad, and sent him home. Being reminded that you are not the biological father of a child you consider your son is a difficult situation for anyone, but during a point where the child is seriously unwell, this no doubt left Nick out in the cold.

Last week Leanne apologised to Nick and they made up, united in their concern for Oliver. It’s important to say that Nick is in a very isolated situation here, he is the only one who isn’t blood related to Oliver and while he can share his concern and support Leanne through one of the worst situations any parent can face, there is a definite feeling that Nick isn’t being understood by others who are closer related to Oliver than him.

What is mitochondrial disease?

Mitochondrial diseases result from failures of the mitochondria, specialized compartments present in every cell of the body (except red blood cells).

Mitochondria are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support organ function. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole organ systems begin to fail.

The parts of the body, such as the heart, brain, muscles and lungs, requiring the greatest amounts of energy are the most affected.

Symptoms vary depending on the organ(s) affected but may include seizures, atypical cerebral palsy, autistic features, developmental problems, fainting and temperature instability.

According to The Lily Foundation, the prognosis depends upon the severity of the disease and other criteria. As more research funds are raised to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure, some of the affected children and adults are living fairly normal lives with mitochondrial disease.

In other cases, children may not be able to see, hear, talk or walk. Affected children may not survive beyond their teenage years. Adult onset can result in drastic changes from an active lifestyle to a debilitating ilness is a short amount of time.

Treatment plans vary from patient to patient but involve therapies, diet changes and other means to try and slow the progress of the disease.

You can find out more information from the NHS here.

So just who will Nick talk to if he is feeling so alone? If his disagreement with Leanne last week was a sign that he is struggling to cope and stay positive, will he confide in anyone about how he is dealing with these tough circumstances? We know from the past that on the rare occasion that Nick opens up, he only tends to talk to Leanne, and as she puts all of her time into being with her son, could Nick be left on his own? And if he feels misunderstood, could keeping it all to himself only create a worse situation for him?

Saying all of this, we could be totally wrong, and Nick could realise the advantages of having two father figures in Oliver’s life and work with Steve to be strong for Leanne and their son. Upcoming episodes this week will see the doctor tell Leanne that Oliver’s test results won’t be back for a few weeks and he’s free to go home which leaves Leanne delighted and convinced that he’s improving, but Steve and Nick mask their concern. As Leanne is clearly holding on to every ounce of positivity as any parent would during this horrific situation, Steve and Nick coming together to be supportive for her could be exactly what they all need.

A storyline that sees a young boy with a life limiting condition and how it affects the family involved has to cover all angles, and that means looking at Nick and Leanne’s relationship, and whether they can come through this time and still be together afterwards. We know the two of them have had their moments in the past: they’ve split up, they’ve got back together, and recently they have been pretty solid, almost as though nothing can get in the way of them being together – but could a situation that leaves Nick feeling singled out and Leanne putting all of her focus onto her ill son be the thing that tears them apart?

With a story that is already proving to have an impact on viewers that have been in a similar situation, it’s clear that we’re only really at the beginning of it all. Cleverly covering so many sides in this scenario has allowed the show to influence an even bigger amount of people. There’s someone out there that has been or is in Nick’s situation, Leanne’s, Steve’s or even Liz’s (Beverly Callard), and as we all watch with hope that Oliver will be okay, it is truly highlighting the power and affect that a British drama can have on us all.

Read more on our exclusive interview with Jane Danson who plays Leanne here: https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/22/coronation-street-spoilers-jane-danson-feared-axe-leanne-battersby-amid-oliver-tragedy-12741425/?ito=article.desktop.share.top.twitter