Two seven-year-old twins have finally emerged from the Covid lockdown to be reunited with their family, who have not seen them in more than two years.
Siblings Orin and Olivia Arthur suffer from Pompe disease, which affects organs such as the heart and lungs.
As of early 2020, they have been sheltering with their parents at their home in Tain, Easter Ross.
But now they can finally leave the house after receiving two vaccinations.
They have traveled to Ireland to see their grandmother and other family members of their father Stephen and have also been able to properly meet up with their grandparents and relatives in Scotland.
Also planned is a trip to London to see a West End musical performance of Frozen and a visit to Legoland.
Mum Lyndsay told BBC Scotland’s The Nine the family hopes to do as much as possible. She said they could never be sure when any of the children might get sick.
She said: “We’ve been stuck for two years and we’re not going to waste a second of it.
“We will do what we can and as much as we can in the time we have to do it.”
Olivia, who can communicate using voice software on a tablet device, said she was excited to see her grannies again.
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The twins’ rare condition means they need specialist care. A cold can also lead to an intensive care stay in the hospital.
The family have been shielding themselves since Covid emerged in the UK more than two years ago.
Orin and Olivia require weekly medical attention, and hospital staff provide this care in the Arthurs’ garden or through an open window of the family home.
Lyndsay said the past two and a half years have been in some ways amazing in terms of the time the family has been able to spend together.
She added: “But we’re used to being on the move on our travels and we’re not used to being still.
“It was hard not to be around people, and we just love being in the thick of things.”
Stephen said they appreciated Covid remained a high risk and would continue to take precautionary measures.
He said: “The general consensus between us and the medical teams was that until they were vaccinated, there was no way of knowing they could be safe.
“We shielded to protect the children. Now that they’re vaccinated, it’s time for a normal life.
“We’ve gotten to a point where you have to take some risk and just keep living as safely as possible.”
Orin and Olivia received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in December.
The Arthurs believe the twins were the first under-12s in Scotland and possibly Britain to be vaccinated.
They have praised NHS Highland and Public Health Scotland for getting the vaccinations.
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