Author Archives: wendy
I love my disabled child – but I’d give my life to make her normal
The mother of a severely autistic girl makes a painfully honest confession
- Meg Henderson writes a reply to Dominic Lawson who said he would never want to ‘cure’ his daughter from Down’s syndrome
- Daughter Louise is brain-damaged and autistic and mother says disability took an ‘intolerable toll’ on the family
- At 34, Louise is now settled in a special village in Fife where she receives dedicated care
PUBLISHED: 00:59, 28 November 2012 | UPDATED: 10:13, 28 November 2012
Most nights, for more years than I can remember, I have had the same dream. I’m walking along the street, arm-in-arm with my beautiful, dark-haired daughter.
Her brown eyes are sparkling with joy, she’s chatting 19 to the dozen, making me laugh and giggle along with her. But every morning I wake to the same chilling reality. My 34-year-old daughter, Louise, is disabled.
Her speech can be almost unintelligible even to us, she will never hold down a job, have a family or even live by herself. Louise is a scared, anxious little girl imprisoned in a woman’s body.
Check your own home for fire safety – DVD
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
We want you, your family, friends and neighbours to be safe from fire in your home, to help you do this we have a short video which will highlight the risks in your home room by room and give you some advice on how to make it safer.
If you are over 60 or have a disability which could make it more difficult to react to a fire please contact us to see if you are eligible for a free home fire risk check of your home.
We also have a Home Fire Risk Self Checker which you can print out or follow on line, this helps you walk around your home identify potential risks and tells you what you can do about them.
46 per cent of cancer carers work full-time, says Macmillan
Some 46 per cent of cancer carers – those looking after another person who has the disease – work full-time, says Macmillan Cancer Support.
And it has been worked out that over 50,000 UK full-time workers could be giving care equivalent to more than a week’s worth of work to a cancer sufferer each week.
“Dealing with the relentless physical and emotional pressures of caring for someone with cancer is hard enough, combining it with a full-time job is extremely difficult and can drive carers to breaking point,” warned Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive, Ciarán Devane.
