'I'm deaf and blind but it's not the end of the world.Byline: By Greg Tindle South Wales Echo The South Wales Echo is a daily newspaper distributed in south Wales. It was founded in 1884 and is based in Thomson House, Cardiff city centre. It is published daily, in a tabloid form, by Media Wales Ltd (formerly Western Mail & Echo Ltd), part of the Trinity Mirror group. Rosa Crean has battled against the odds all her life, enduring a personal hardship that few will have experienced. But despite the turmoil of her early years and a physical handicap that still besets her today, Rosa has risen to become a true champion. The 65-year-old has amassed a cupboard full of 28 sports medals - including Paralympic gold - and is recognised as a legend in the world of bowls. What makes Rosa so special is that she's registered deaf-blind - born with a serious sight problem - genetic cataracts Cataracts Definition A cataract is a cloudiness or opacity in the normally transparent crystalline lens of the eye. This cloudiness can cause a decrease in vision and may lead to eventual blindness. - and then suffering from a childhood ear infection which resulted in hearing difficulties which have continued to worsen wors·en tr. & intr.v. wors·ened, wors·en·ing, wors·ens To make or become worse. worsen Verb to make or become worse worsening adjn over the years. Rosa is one of an estimated two million over-60s in the UK who have a sight and hearing loss and because of their impairments are at special risk of becoming isolated in the community. They are now at the centre of a new awareness campaign. Thankfully for Rosa, with her special determination, this is unlikely to happen. That determination is born out of a nightmare childhood that saw her a victim of the Greek Civil War Greek Civil War (1944–45, 1946–49). Two-stage conflict during which Greek communists unsuccessfully tried to gain control of Greece. The two principal Greek guerrilla forces that had resisted Nazi Germany's occupation—the communist-controlled National in the late 1940s when she was torn from her family, abducted abducted Distal angulation of an extremity away from the midline of the body in a transverse plane and away from a sagittal plane passing through the proximal aspect of the foot or part, or away from some other specified reference point and ended up alone in a Polish orphanage ORPHANAGE, Eng. law. By the custom of London, when a freeman of that city dies, his estate is divided into three parts, as follows: one third part to the widow; another, to the children advanced by him in his lifetime, which is called the orphanage; and the other third part may be by him . Her remarkable survival from a poverty- stricken family background eventually saw Rosa arrive in the UK when she was in her mid-20s working in a factory in Lincolnshire. But bad luck was again around the corner when she was hit by a drink-driver and left in a coma coma, in medicine coma, in medicine, deep state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be aroused even by painful stimuli. The patient cannot speak and does not respond to command. for four weeks. A year later in 1967, Rosa arrived in Cardiff following a romantic link with a Welshman and that's where she's finally put down her roots becoming the proud mother of two children Julia and Phillip, who have both sadly inherited the genetic cataract cataract, in medicine, opacity of the lens of the eye, which impairs vision. In the young, cataracts are generally congenital or hereditary; later they are usually the result of degenerative changes brought on by aging or systemic disease (diabetes). condition. "Both my mother and my brother had the same problem and I've had operations and implants put in my eyes but nothing has really worked. "At the moment I can see about three feet but everything beyond that is a complete blur," said Rosa, of Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (Welsh: Bae Caerdydd) is the regeneration area created by the Cardiff Barrage which impounded two rivers (Taff and Ely) to form a new 500 acre freshwater lake around the former dockland area south of the city centre of Cardiff in south Wales. . Being deaf and blind Rosa admits she faces many daily and routine problems. "Life is difficult, you can make all sorts of mistakes. You bump into people, you can fall over, you do not recognise someone or mistake them for the wrong person. My view has always been that it's not the end of the world
It's Not the End of the World is a 1972 novel for teenagers; it was written by Judy Blume. - at least I can walk which some other people cannot do." She hasn't let her disability stop her pursuing her love of art and sport. She has created dozens of oil paintings, which she has exhibited locally. And at the suggestion of 36-year-old daughter Julia, Rosa also took up lawn bowls 16 years ago as a way to help her mum get out and about. "I tried it but after about three months thought this was not my cup of tea - I just could not see what I was doing. Julie told me off and insisted I carry on and thanks to her advice I've achieved my success." Travelling the world with the Wales Wales, Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (1991 pop. 2,798,200), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England since 1536. The capital is Cardiff. and UK squad of disabled athletes, Rosa has opened up a new life which still sees her practising three times a week. But how does she hit the target? Rosa explained: "It works very simply. The coach tells you where the jack is and, because I can't see it, where to bowl the ball and what weight to use. So it could be an instruction 'bowl at two o'clock or nine o'clock and use more or less weight' depending on the situation. The whole experience of bowling for Wales has been an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. time for me." Despite her champion status, Rosa is still hard at work trying to raise pounds 5,000 sponsorship for her next tilt at a world title in Australia in 2009. "We all need the money to pay for travel and accommodation so I would appreciate all the help I can get," she said. To help support Rosa's fundraising, visit her website on www.rosacrean.com: What is deaf-blind?:Around two million people aged over 60 have a sight and hearing loss. Deaf-blind charity Sense has launched a campaign to raise awareness of this. Sense has produced a booklet The Good Life, showing people how they can communicate with, and support, older relatives who are losing their sight and hearing. Richard Briers from The Good Life is fronting the campaign. The charity says many think losing their sight and hearing is a natural part of growing older and nothing can be done. Research shows 66 per cent of people do not realise old age is the most common cause of deaf-blindness. Older people with sight and hearing loss can carry on many of their previous activities with support. For a copy of The Good Life ring 0845 127 0060 or e-mail info@sense.org.uk. Website: www.sense.org.uk/fillinthegaps |
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