On Friday, ‘the three and a half sisters’ walk was amazing ,beautiful and uplifting. For one second, when you looked at the view- the turquoise sparking sea , the soft green landscape,the deep blue sky , and then closed your eyes – you could have thought you were in Greece .Until I was told to open them again , as we were in fact near the each of the cliff at Beachy Head ,that well know suicide spot, and it was time to go down to the beach for our ( second ) picnic.
Then on Saturday , we went to The Paralympics, this time wheelchair basketball , which was equally as amazing and uplifting, but with a few more oohs and aahs.
I could go on and on about The Paralympics- it really got into me. But ,the 2 people(s) that really got in very deep were ….1.Ellie Simmonds and 2. Any athlete who was disabled through having meningitis.
Ellie ,because she has achondraplasia, as did Jane. I thought about stuff like how I had to go to ballet with Jane, even though I loathed it . Then when Jane was at high-school and I was at primary school , I had to walk her bike ( too small for me to ride ) down to the bus-stop, wait for her to get off the bus , she’d cycle home and I’d walk home and carrying her school bag !It sounds like I’m moaning , but I’m not , we got on like a house on fire and I’d have done anything to make sure she wasn’t bullied .I had a very happy childhood .I believe when you have disability in your family, it becomes the norm .It is only later on in life you realise the strain and the worry your parents had .I am proud to say , to my knowledge jane was never bullied. ….. and no.2 because every time meningitis was mentioned ,I instantly thought of Rosie and how she /we would have coped with life if it had been cruel to her in a different way . Those thoughts are just too hard to cope with .