Emily and Charlotte

Catching up this morning on reading some of the blogs I follow I particularly liked a post from one of my Romanian blogging friends, Monica (mopana), who writes in both Romanian and (excellent) English – good for me to practice my Romanian. It was all the more poignant as I knew a little later I was meeting another delightfully happy young friend, Charlotte.

Charlotte, 10 years old, has severe cerebral palsy – spastic quadriplegia, so all four limbs are affected. But what a happy little girl she is, particularly when with her loving sister Emily.

I spent a lovely hour in the sun chatting with her on a near perfect English summer day. Speaking is difficult for her but with a bit of perserverence it becomes easier to understand her; she seems to have no problem understanding me.

The occasion was an annual charity bun fight at the home of other friends, from whom we buy our “very free range eggs”. I ‘do’ the posters and flyers for the event. This year it was raising money for a Mollii suit which, worn for an hour each morning, helps Charlotte have an easier day, but each year she must have a larger one at a cost of around £1,000.

Here’s the English text from Monica’s post, entitled:

Be happy

Can you see?

Can you hear?

Can you speak?

Can you walk?

Can you use your hands?

Then…

Be happy!

Others cannot

Another reason we cannot but be happy is where we live, in the Wharfe valley in what we call ‘God’s own country’, Yorkshire. Here’s a quick snap taken along the short walk from home to meet Charlotte today.

Looking over the Wharfe valley to the north