Taking control of the future

Her mother Bodil has seen Astrid grow and flourish, and is so happy for her sporting success. Seeing her daughter take more and more responsibility for her condition has made her feel relaxed about the future. “I am not afraid about Astrid growing up and moving away from home,” she said. “I am confident that she can live a normal life and take care of herself.”

The family attends almost all PKU conferences in Denmark and internationally where possible. Well-connected within the PKU community, they attended a newborns with PKU group when Astrid was born, and Astrid connects with other PKU teens almost every day.

“The one frustration I have is that a lot of the time, people don’t understand PKU. People do look at me when I’m taking my tablets,” she said. “But in general, I feel like a normal teenager.”

Bodil agrees.

“The tablets give her more opportunities to be normal, and do normal things,” she said. “People see Astrid first, and then PKU, and not the other way around. But then again, nothing has ever held Astrid back.”