Dr. Orla Kelleher:

Anna has lived for a long time, more than 25 years, in Midleton, at the Owenacurra Centre. Her progress at the start was slow. I remember when I was younger and we would visit Anna, she could not go for a short car journey because she would just not be able for it. Over the years in Midleton, with the dedicated support of the staff at Owenacurra Centre, who are absolutely phenomenal, Anna has gradually made progress. She goes out in the town every day, she is involved in the local craft group with really nice women, and she is totally integrated. She volunteers in the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, charity shop. She goes to the leisure centre and goes swimming. She goes across the road to SuperValu. She is fully integrated. She goes across the road to the newsagents, Angela's, to get her cigarettes. She knows everybody around the town and it is such a joy to walk around town with her and to pop in for a coffee. Everybody knows her and she is so well-treated there whereas if she were to be somewhere else she would not have that community or those friends. The idea that someone could be in their 60s and be uprooted like that after 25 years of working really hard to get to that point is really heartbreaking for our family.