We saw Ellie Simmonds win a gold medal in the 2012 Paralympics, so when I saw she was doing a documentary on her birth mother, I wanted to watch it.
She was very emotional at times, so was I watching, as she finds out why her birth mother gave her up for adoption, when she was just ten days old. Born November 11th 1994, her mother had been told quite brutally that her baby had achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism and that her child would be disabled. She was led to believe that Ellie would be like a circus dwarf, short of stature, flat face, bowed legs and muscular. A single mum on her own, she decided she wouldn't be able to cope.
She was adopted by a couple, who also adopted other children with disabilities and has had a wonderful up bringing in a very happy family unit.
While Ellie was talking on the subject of her birth mother, she never once blamed her for the decision to give her up. In fact when you listen to Ellie talking, she comes over as a really lovely person with a heart of gold.
I loved the programme and then watched the second one, where she is trying to come to the decision if she should have children of her own. She is so honest and open it was very difficult not to weep a few tears with her. The option to have a child via sperm donation, where the donor sperm was normal height was an option explained to her, even that the embryo could be checked, so the implanted embryo does not have any genetic faults.. She decided she wasn't ready to go ahead at the moment. A sad time for her and too difficult a decision and tears fell.
I shed quite a few tears myself watching her. If you haven't seen it, do, its so worth watching. (ITVX)
Chrisxx
8 comments:
Ellie is such a wonderful young woman, it was a very moving programme to watch. Regards Sue H
I read about these documentaries. She has a hard decision to make, for all sorts of reasons.
She sounds like a special person. I'll have to see if I can find that documentery.
We all need a good cry once in awhile. Sounds like a good documentary to watch when we do.
I've always liked Ellie Simmonds.
It does sound a very good documentary.
All the best Jan
I've have not heard of her but she sounds like a wonderful woman.
What a strong, intelligent, and compassionate young woman.
My neighbor had a son with cerebral palsy when she was 19. Her boyfriend left when he heard the news at the hospital , and she was also to she would not be able to cope. But her decision was to keep her son, and that meant her whole life had to revolve around his care as he was a very severe case. Fortunately she married a man who had even married before to a woman with a son with CP. She dumped Jeff when she no longer needed him, but he net my neighbor and was an excellent father to David. David died 2 years ago at 22 and it took my friend months to adjust to not having to sleep lightly, get up many times a night, etc.
Ellie Simmonds is a special lady. I will look out for the two documentaries she made.
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