Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A double tragedy

For a week now I've been meaning to write something about the tragic deaths of Heather Wardle and her disabled son James Hughes. But to be honest I wasn't sure what to write. We can't be certain exactly what happened and in fact we may never know.

Reading about James, hearing of the tributes from his birth father and former headmaster, I was reminded of a less able version of son 2 (who is 14 but functions largely at the level of a 4-5 year old). The whole story seemed too close to home for someone who is already having to start thinking about what might happen to their extremely vulnerable child when he leaves school.

But others have written movingly on the case and their own personal experiences of parenting a disabled child. Between them they have said everything I wanted to and more. Please, please read Claire Bates, Nuala Gardner and Christopher Stevens.

Three notable things:

1. I enjoyed a trip into London for my tutorial on Saturday and even managed to avoid the temptations of Waterstones...

2. Son 2 has, for the last two days, decided that his day should begin at 5am. So mine does too.

3. Son 1 came home with a nasty cold this weekend. Just what we all need!

3 comments:

Yvonne said...

Cathy, those stories moved me to tears. Thank you for sharing them. I did read about the deaths of Heather and James - but to judge them never entered my head. It just struck me as an incredibly sad situation. Good luck Cathy and know that we are rooting for you and your family. xxx

Casdok said...

Ive been trying to follow the James Hughes case, but all seems to have gone quiet. As you say very tragic and too close to home.

Wing said...

A friend like henry caught my eyes as i browse through the book section in a magazine. I knew it's a must-read and further buoyed by your recommendation. Unfortunately i don't have a very good bookstore at my place and with no credit card, couldn't order it online. As of now, i'm still figuring out a way to get my hands on the book.
Thanx anyway