13th September 2021
Mum died at the grand age of 92 and was active until literally a few days before she died. She became disabled in her mid-forties through a bungled operation which she had to find a way to accept and make the best of her situation and that she did with fortitude and courage.
When she was younger, she didn’t think she needed a scooter but later in life, I encouraged her and once she realised it gave her her legs back, there was no stopping her. We took her little scooter to Ireland, Wales, and Hastings and when she got more confident signed up with the Disabled Ramblers. At times mum was terrified on the rambles, but she never gave up. She loved the countryside and for the first time in years she was able to enjoy camaraderie, picnics and lovely scenery. It reawakened her senses. Nothing was too much bother, there were even dedicated helpers carrying a toilet so there was no anxiety around those basic needs.
I also discovered other charities that supported disabled people to do amazing things and the RDA took mum carriage riding and she was seen galloping across the Marlborough Downs with a beaming smile on her face. She even had flying lessons with Aerobility, who support disabled people who want to learn to fly. She had always wanted to be a pilot but grew up in a time when opportunities were limited for women.
Mum died of cancer on the evening of the 13/09/21 she was at home with her friends and family at her side. For the last 2 years it had been in remission so she was able to live her life to the last breath and even managed to thrash her carer at scrabble 2 days before she died, she would have to rest between moves but then opened her eyes and made a sneaky killer move and amazed us all.
I miss my mum more than I ever thought possible. It’s the little things that I miss, I miss her saying, ‘what’s for dinner, can I have a coffee and what are we doing today’ What I would give for just one more conversation. Thank you to all at the Disabled Ramblers for making dreams come true. I will always treasure the memories we made. Joy Anderson (Betty’s Daughter)
