SAOIRSE

At artnow.ru

By Nigel Kendall
Wall Street Journal
20 June 2011

The British Library today announced its first partnership with Google, under which Google will digitize 250,000 items from the library’s vast collection of work produced between 1700-1870.

The Library, the only British institution that automatically receives a copy of every book and periodical to go on sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland, joins around 40 libraries worldwide in allowing Google to digitize part of its collection and make it freely available and searchable online, at books.google.co.uk and the British Library website, www.bl.uk.

Speaking at the official launch, Kristian Jensen, the Library’s head of Arts and Humanities, said: “This process allows books to fulfill their original aim of being useful to as many people as possible. Scholars will be able to identify what they are looking for in seconds, rather than hours.”

The new collection will contain only works that are out of copyright under European law. The collection will be selected according to theme, and will go online over the next three years. Google will undertake the digitization process at its own facility, whose location a Google spokesman declined to reveal, for security reasons.

As well as published books, the 1700-1870 collection will also contain pamphlets and periodicals from across Europe. This was a period of political and technological turmoil, covering much of the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, the introduction of UK income tax and the invention of the telegraph and railway. All of these topics are covered, as are the quirkier matters of the day, such as the account, from 1775, of a stuffed hippopotamus owned by the Prince of Orange.

The precise length of the deal, and the cost to Google, were not disclosed although it’s safe to assume that the British Library struck a hard bargain over the contentious issue of digital rights. Just over two years ago, rights issues caused the Library to pull out of previous negotiations with Google.

In 2009, Simon Bell, the head of partnerships at the British Library, said: “Ultimately the ownership should be fully taken back into the British Library so that we can then offer it via our website to the British taxpayer for free. We could not at the time achieve that with Google.” The Library went on to form limited partnerships with Microsoft and others.

In 2011, Mr. Bell seems happier with the new Google deal: “This is a fixed contract that gives us huge freedom. It’s not a monstrously long contract and then the digital rights revert to us. Google is also happy for us to disseminate this material in any non-commercial way we see fit, including via www.europeana.eu which hosts digitized content from public sources all across Europe.

“The deal was timely, because other national libraries are starting similar collaborations…it started with the Italians, then the Austrians, then the Dutch, then the Czechs. So we are not the only ones.

“We think it would have cost us about £6 million to scan these documents, though I can’t say how much it’s costing Google. We like to think that projects like this are for the common good; Google’s motives may be less altruistic, but they’re not going to be making a fortune out of this.”

Nevertheless, Mr Bell expressed slight frustration that the project will not go beyond 1870: “What we really want is the 20th century, but we Europeans are often locked out of our own culture by copyright laws. So, for instance, the First World War poets, which are pre-1923 and therefore out of copyright in the USA, are still in copyright in Europe. There is an absurdity there.”

Nor, he noted, was the issue of copyright restricted to Europe: “Early adopters of digitization were American college libraries that got themselves in a bit of trouble with copyright. The 1870 date we’ve chosen is very conservative and none of the European libraries has released anything that is still in copyright. The idea of the British Library and things that are still in copyright is way too rich for our blood.”

There is still, hope, however. A recently published review of UK Intellectual Property laws commissioned by the UK government and delivered by professor Ian Hargreaves in May recommends the establishment of separate digital rights for works that are technically still in copyright, but unavailable. Perhaps one day UK Internet users will be able to enjoy Siegfried Sassoon’s war poetry legally, without first having to travel to the United States to view it.

In the meantime, bibliophiles can play an intriguing game at ngrams.googlelabs.com where the occurrence of key words in texts over set historical periods can be viewed as a graph. Tip: try “heaven” and “hell” from 1650-1800.

By Terence McArdle
Washington Post
Sunday, June 19, 3:00 AM
**More links onsite

Clarence Clemons, 69, the tenor saxophonist who worked with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, died Saturday after suffering a stroke June 12 at his Florida home.

A spokeswoman for Springsteen confirmed Mr. Clemons’s death to the Associated Press

In 2009, Clarence Clemons talked about the joy he still felt when playing with Bruce Springsteen.

In a career spanning five decades, Mr. Clemons worked with performers ranging from Aretha Franklin to Lady Gaga and also led his own bands, the Red Bank Rockers and the Temple of Soul.

But he was best known for his big-toned sax work with Springsteen.

Mr. Clemons, whom Springsteen called “the Big Man” for his formidable presence, was a focal point of the E Street Band’s performances. His calm, almost stoical demeanor contrasted with Springsteen’s kinetic antics. His solos dominated such Springsteen songs as “Jungleland,” “Spirit in the Night” and “Born to Run.” In concert, Springsteen would tell “Big Man” stories and rest his ear against Mr. Clemons’s saxophone during his solos. He would also land at Mr. Clemons’s feet as he darted across the stage.

In a statement late Saturday, Springsteen said, “His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years.”

The saxophonist joined Springsteen in 1971, a year before the singer-songwriter’s first recordings, when both musicians were still hustling gigs in New Jersey bars — and remained with him until 1989, later rejoining the band for reunion tours.

“Nobody would argue that he was a ground-breaking musician,” said rock critic Anthony DeCurtis. “But Bruce didn’t need a virtuoso. It was about a band and, as a sax player in that band, Clarence was fantastic.”

“He had a symbolic importance in the band and in the larger E Street Band mythology; a sense of bridging a racial gap in a creative partnership. And all of the lore surrounding him was as important to Bruce as his playing.”

Part of the lore was a fictionalized account of their first meeting. Onstage, Springsteen would tell of fearfully encountering Mr. Clemons at night. Mr. Clemons extended his hand, they shook and “sparks flew on E Street.”

Springsteen immortalized their partnership in his song “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”:

When the change was made uptown

When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half

“Bruce created a whole mythology for the Jersey shore on his early records — a created landscape like in literature,” DeCurtis said. “All the guys in the band had nicknames, they all had a role and the one who had the biggest role was Clarence — the Big Man.”

Mr. Clemons was Springsteen’s link to the early era of rock-and-roll when the sax, not the guitar, was the genre’s dominant instrument. As the saxophone became less prominent in Springsteen’s music in later years, Mr. Clemons’s work with the E Street Band brought him other opportunities.

He had small acting roles in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film “New York, New York” and on the HBO series “The Wire.” He also toured with his band, Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers, which a Washington Post reviewer described as “solid as it dug into well-worn soul grooves” but “less effective when trying to stretch into contemporary rock.”

Mr. Clemons’s sax solo graced Aretha Franklin’s 1985 hit “Freeway of Love,” and that same year, he duetted with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne on the pop hit “You’re a Friend of Mine.” More recently, he appeared on Lady Gaga’s album “Born This Way.”

Clarence Clemons was born Jan. 11, 1942, in the Tidewater region of Virginia. His father owned a fish market. Mr. Clemons sang in church groups, but it was the unanticipated Christmas gift of an alto saxophone — he’d asked for an electric train — that whetted his interest in music.

In high school, he switched to tenor sax after hearing recordings by rhythm and blues great King Curtis.

Mr. Clemons attended Maryland State College on a football and music scholarship and played in bar bands on summer break. He moved to Newark and continued to work at music while counseling emotionally disturbed children at the New Jersey Training School for Boys in nearby Jamesburg.

While performing with a cover band in Asbury Park, Mr. Clemons went down the street to take in Springsteen’s show.

“I had my saxophone with me, and when I walked in this club — no lie — a gust of wind just blew the door down the street. Boof!” he recalled to People magazine. “I say, ‘I want to play. Can I sit in?’ Bruce says, ‘Hey, you can do anything you want. Take a couple of background singers, anything.’ ”

Mr. Clemons quit his job and joined Springsteen’s band. He later recalled that he initially made only $15 a week.

His first marriage ended in divorce. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

Mr. Clemons was once asked why he received almost as much applause as Springsteen on their shows together.

“It’s because of my innocence,” he said. “I have no agenda — just to be loved. Somebody said to me, ‘Whenever somebody says your name, a smile comes to their face.’ That’s a great accolade. I strive to keep it that way.”

By Neans McSweeney, South-East Correspondent
Irish Examiner
29 May 2006

Two-year-old Aoife was found abandoned, terrified and with blood spilling from her head near Tramore, Co Waterford, in March. Her ears were cut off to remove tattoos which would identify her and her owners.

But with the love and care of Waterford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WSPCA) welfare officer Andrew Quinn, vets and his volunteers, Aoife has come along leaps and bounds.

A GREYHOUND which had its ears hacked off by brutes who wanted to hide her identity has become a celebrity of sorts.

Her progress, as mapped by the Irish Examiner, has touched the hearts of so many people that get well cards, many of them packed with money, have flooded in from well-wishers all over the country.

The ‘Aoife Fund’ at the WSPCA has now hit the €2,000 mark.

Mr Quinn said: “We had one particularly touching card from a playschool in Kerry. The children made the card and signed it.

“They also all brought in e1 each and sent us along €15 which has helped with Aoife’s care. We are hoping to be able to arrange to bring Aoife to the school soon so she can meet the children.

“The response from the public, from as far away as Dublin and Donegal, Galway and Cavan has been nothing short of amazing. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

Aoife is now up to her recommended weight and the scars where her ears were cut off are mending.

“Long-term, Aoife may need more surgery. But at the moment, the advice from our vets is that she is hearing and does not need more surgery.”

Mr Quinn said Aoife is “really happy” now.

Bord na gCon has taken DNA samples to narrow down the litter from which Aoife came. In the meantime, she remains in the care of WSPCA.

Mr Quinn said she is eligible for re-homing.

“We’ve have hundreds of offers, even from as far away as the UK. She will make a loving pet for someone and will enjoy long years lounging on their couch.”

Get well wishes can be sent to Aoife at the ISPCA office at Summerland Square, Yellow Road, Waterford. Alternatively people can ring (051) 841432.

BreakingNews.ie

13/05/2006 - 09:05:55

Some 42 sick youngsters from the south west were today heading to EuroDisney Paris on a trip organisers say is just what the doctor ordered.

The children from Kerry, Cork city and county and Tipperary, many of whom have spent time in hospital this year, will travel to France for the weekend.

Breda Chandler, chairwoman for the Cork city hospitals children’s club, revealed around 5,000 children are treated each year at Cork University Hospital.

“While their stay is usually relatively short – two-and-a-half-days on average – children are usually only brought to hospital when they are very sick,” she said.

“Going to EuroDisney is just what the doctor ordered for many of them, especially those who have had a particularly difficult year.

“A trip like this is a real boost for them, a chance to show them that although they’ve been sick, that they can still have lots of fun.”

The money for the break was raised by the children’s Club and the Kinsale & District Lion’s Club.

This annual EuroDisney trip will include not only sick children from Cork University Hospital, but also from the Cork Association for the Deaf, the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital.

“We’re delighted that this event is expanding to include more children than in previous years,” said event co-ordinator John Looney.

Belfast Telegraph

By Jeremy Laurance
28 March 2006

New research suggesting that vitamin C can be effective in curing cancer will renew interest in the “alternative” treatment for the terminal disease.

Three cancer patients who were given large intravenous doses over a period of several months had their lives extended and their tumours shrunk, doctors reported yesterday.

A 49-year-old man diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer in 1996 was still alive and cancer-free nine years later, having declined chemotherapy and radiotherapy in favour of regular infusions of vitamin C.

A 66-year-old woman with an aggressive lymphoma who had a “dismal prognosis” in 1995 was similarly treated and is still alive 10 years later. A 51-year-old woman with kidney cancer that spread to her lungs diagnosed in 1995 had a normal chest X-ray two years later. The findings were confirmed by pathologists. Although they do not prove the vitamin cured the cancer they do increase the “clinical plausibility” of the idea, the researchers say.

Vitamin C therapy was first promoted by Linus Pauling, the Nobel prize winner, 30 years ago. Dr Pauling’s claims sparked the continuing boom in sales of vitamin C, but attempts to confirm his findings failed and high-dose vitamin C became an “alternative” therapy.

The latest study, published in the Canadian Association’s Medical Journal, could trigger renewed interest in Dr Pauling’s claims. Studies show that vitamin C is toxic to some cancer cells but not to normal cells. The problem has been delivering a high enough dose.

The researchers say attempts to replicate Dr Pauling’s work failed because they used oral doses of the drug which is rapidly excreted. However, injections achieve blood levels 25 times higher that persist for longer. At these very high doses, the blood level of vitamin C is high enough to selectively kill cancer cells.

Several clinical trials of vitamin C therapy are about to start, including one at McGill University, Montreal, the authors say.

RTÉ

24 March 2006 12:01

Gift bracelet Recalled by Reebok over lead

A child has died from lead poisoning in the US after apparently swallowing a link from a charm bracelet imported by sportswear firm Reebok.

Reebok recalled the gifts following the death of the four-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The jewellery contains high levels of lead, posing a risk of lead poisoning and adverse health effects to young children.
Advertisement

The company and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission have now recalled the bracelets, which have been in circulation for the past two years.

The Chinese-made bracelets, with a heart-shaped charm, were being given away free by Reebok with purchases of children’s footwear.

Up to 145,000 of the gifts were circulated in Britain and Ireland. A further 300,000 were given away in the US.

They are also to be recalled in Canada, the rest of the EU, Asia and Latin America.

Separately, discount retailer Dollar Tree Stores Inc was yesterday recalling 580,000 necklaces and rings due to high levels of lead.

No incidents or injuries had been reported in connection with the Dollar Tree products.

My ‘net mate’ from 20six, Al from The Alan Benefit Diaries (which you should definitely read if you appreciate fine writing talent - and start from >>the beginning) turned me on to this link from the Independent on the impact the internet has on people going through soul-shattering trials and crises. In this article, the writer gains solace from a group of parents experiencing the same ordeal with their children; however, the premise this story is based on applies and is pertinent to many different situations an individual goes through in this life. Whereas formerly we might have viewed ourselves as lost and lonely in a universe of indifference, the net has the tendency to globalise our experience and prove to us that we are not alone and that we don’t have to suffer by ourselves.

Click to view - Map of the Internet from The Opte Project

Internet ‘families’ provide support for parents with sick children

By Niki Shisler
14 March 2006
The Independent

Sometimes, when you’re least expecting it, life throws you a curve-ball. A little under eight years ago, after a period of peaceful stability, my own life somersaulted into chaos. I had been in recovery from alcoholism for a couple of years and, after great effort, had finally got my life back on to an even keel. My son Joey was 11; I was newly married to my soulmate, Danny; we had bought our first house together and, best of all, I had a new daughter, Evie, who was turning out to be a dream baby. My alcoholic rock bottom had been as grim as these things usually are, so having turned my life around so spectacularly felt like a real achievement. After years of misery and darkness I was, at last, standing in the sunlight.

Then, with Evie just three months old, I fell pregnant again - this time with twins. It is safe to say that the idea of having three babies in a year didn’t exactly fill me with delight. Suddenly this perfect little life that I’d struggled so hard to build was in danger of being shattered. I was still locked into the intense love affair with Evie that a mother has with her newborn; these two new babies felt like intruders, stealing me away from their sister before either of us was ready.

As the weeks passed I became increasingly alarmed by this sudden expansion of my family. How would my body cope? How would I be able to go out alone with three babies? Did they even make triple buggies? I worried about our finances, and I worried that my sweet little Evie would be permanently scarred by the inevitable battle for attention with her siblings. No matter how hard I tried to remain positive, nothing seemed to help.

In the end it was Danny who found the solution. He went online and signed me up for a support group, Twins List. That night, I sat and poured all the weight in my heart out into the ether.

I don’t know what I expected the result to be, but I woke to find dozens of e-mails from women all around the world telling me that they understood. I was astonished; letter after letter recounted experiences that paralleled my own. I learnt that my fears, misgivings, guilt and even anger were ” normal”; even some of those who had conceived after years of heartbreaking fertility treatment found themselves shocked by a wave of negative feelings. Most importantly, each letter, without exception, promised me that these fears would pass; and that, by the time my babies were born, I would be more than ready to love them.

I soon slipped into the daily banter of the group. Virtual communities are similar to physical ones in many ways; they have in-crowds and popularity queens, wise “elders”, try-hards, eccentrics and clowns; they also have rules, both explicit and implicit; in-jokes and, inevitably, conflict. There were also, I found, real parallels with the 12-step groups I had been involved in: the principle of anonymity in both kinds of groups allowed for a degree of intimacy to develop that was unmatched in most real-world communities. At a time when we are less likely to know our actual neighbours, these virtual communities have blossomed, as though fulfilling some fundamental need for casual friendships and group identity. As my pregnancy advanced and I became unimaginably vast, my anxieties about the twins melted away, just as I had been told they would, and I began to prepare for the birth with mounting excitement.

On 12 April 1999, Theo William Shisler and Felix Samuel Shisler arrived and suddenly everything changed. The twins were born with a mystery illness and, instead of the mountains of nappies and sleeplessness I was expecting, I found myself catapulted into the twilight zone of the neonatal intensive care unit. It is not unusual for twins to need a bit of extra help in the early days, usually due to prematurity (which was clearly not the issue for my full-term babies), and my virtual friends were quick to offer support and reassurance that we would all be home together soon enough. But, as days grew into weeks and then months, Felix and Theo looked no closer to being discharged. Danny and I were almost numb with shock; it felt as though we had been accidentally dropped into the wrong life, surreal.

To call the next few months a roller-coaster in no way does justice to the nausea-inducing highs and lows of the ride. The boys were ferried between University College Hospital (where they had been born) and Great Ormond Street, where they underwent a bewildering array of tests and treatments (including having feeding tubes inserted when it became apparent they were unable to swallow). I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, coping with one day at a time, and at night I would sit at the computer and pour out my frustration and fear to the mothers who, despite the fact that I had never met them, felt by now like dear and trusted friends. Around the world, thousands of strangers shared our triumphs, struggled with our setbacks, and did what friends do - they were there for us. Each day I would awake to find another batch of e-mails offering encouragement, reassurance and love; and each day I drew enormous strength from them. After one particularly rough patch, the group secretly clubbed together and bought me a rocking-chair “to rock the babies in” when I finally brought them home. I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude.

The babies themselves were gorgeous, though, and, despite my misgivings at the start of the pregnancy, I was utterly won over by their charm. Their physical similarity was startling - even I had difficulty telling them apart on occasions - but their personalities could not have been more different. Felix, the younger by two minutes, was a feisty little thing and incredibly sociable. He was also strong-willed, and you could see in his eyes that he was a fighter. Theo, on the other hand, was an altogether more peaceful soul. He had an air of serenity about him that everyone noticed and, while Felix liked to be in the thick of the action, Theo was happy to watch from the sidelines. Separately they were charming; together they were completely irresistible. They slept together in one big hospital cot, snuggled up and holding hands and I was glad that they had each other for the times when I couldn’t be with them.

Felix and Theo had been beset by chest infections and various bugs since day one but, seven months after their birth, both boys picked up a particularly vicious virus and Theo, always the weaker of the two, was finally beaten. He died at 5am one Saturday morning aged seven months and one day. At the hospital I held his still-warm, silent little body in my arms, trying to find a way to say goodbye to my son; and I felt, really felt, my heart break.

Back at home I sat at the computer and tried to find words to tell the world that Theo had gone. It had been so unexpected; we knew there was a problem with the twins, but we had never really considered the idea that they might not make it. Denial, I suppose, and probably not a bad thing either, but it all added to the sense of bewilderment.

The response to this terrible news was extraordinary: I received hundreds of e-mails within the space of a few hours. The shock was palpable. All around the world, people who had never met my son sat at their computers and wept. Felix and Theo’s story had unfolded so publicly; many told me that reading the daily update on the babies was the first thing they did each morning. Danny opened a condolences book online and, over the next few days, the messages poured in. Though nothing could ease the pain of our loss, knowing that Theo’s short life had touched so many people, that he had mattered in the world, made that pain a little easier to bear. As we held his funeral in London, my online community took their own children out and released white balloons into the sky, so that “Theo would have something to play with in heaven”.

I stayed around the twins list for a while. I felt so bonded to the group and, naturally, they were still keen to follow Felix’s progress. I promised that I would stay until we got him home, while silently praying that he would make it. At nine months he was diagnosed with a severe form of nemaline myopathy, a rare neuromuscular disorder. Though cognitively normal, Felix’s muscles were weak; swallowing, breathing, sitting and moving would be a struggle for him. He was given a tracheostomy in preparation for a life on a ventilator.

Once we had a diagnosis, we turned a corner and started to plan the system that would support Felix at home. He was finally discharged from hospital aged 18 months.

Leaving the group felt like another loss, another step away from Theo and ” the twins”. My virtual friends told me I was welcome to stay, but it was time to move on. I had, by now, connected with some other groups online for nemaline myopathy and disability parenting.

What I experienced on the twins list was almost miraculous. Everyone who was there was profoundly affected by it; the public unfolding of our story became a part of the story itself. There was an intimacy that was incredibly powerful even though very few of the participants had ever met. Despite the trauma Danny and I went through, there was something magnificent about the humanity we saw. People, strangers, reaching out with love and compassion; a thousand tiny lights, shining in the darkness.

Helpful sites

Twinslist.org

A discussion site covering all aspects of twins and multiple births, from pregnancy through to the realities of life as an adult twin. Includes information and mailing lists on multiple pregnancy and on bereavement after the loss of one or more twin.

Tamba.org.uk

The website of the Twins and Multiple Births Association and based in the UK (unlike Twins List). Support, resources, information and discussion, including an e-mail group for parents of children with special needs.

Angels4ever.com

A site for those who have lost a baby, with e-mail support groups (including one for loss in multiple birth), chat sessions, memorials and grief resources.

Childbereavement.org.uk

A UK-based site for families who have lost a child, including lots of advice and resources and also the invaluable Families’ Discussion Forum.

Our-kids.org

Covering all aspects of parenting a disabled child, offering advice and resources. Run by parents who, between them, have a wealth of experience and knowledge, it also has a very supportive e-mail group.

Nemaline.org

A support and resources website for anyone seeking information on nemaline myopathy, the rare neuromuscular disorder that affected Felix and Theo Shisler.

Fragile by Niki Shisler is published by Ebury Press, £14.99. To order your copy at the special price of £13.99 plus free p&p call Independent Books Direct on 08700 798 897, or order online at www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk

Irish Examiner

24 December 2005
By Jim Morahan

YOUNG people under stress are being urged to send a mobile phone text to the Samaritans.
Help is only a text call away, says the emotional support charity.

Texting the word SAM, followed by their region, to 51500 will get them a response.

Samaritan phone lines are answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

A Samaritans spokeswoman, said: “Young people often feel that their worries and concerns aren’t important and don’t want to burden their friends or families if they are feeling low.”

Suicide trends over the past 10 years have shown a 36% increase in the Republic.

Ireland rugby star Brian O’Driscoll, who launched the service, said: “Exam pressures can be huge and I believe that it is very important that young people have an outlet to express their concerns. Samaritans provides a valuable confidential service and the mobile phone is a great way of reminding them that support is only a phone call away.”

Brendan Daly, Samaritans regional representative, said: “It is our aim to send SMS texts to students at various times in the year to let them know that by ringing our help line, they will be listened to in confidence, accepted without prejudice and given the opportunity to explore difficult feelings.”

He added: “With this new service we hope to see students forwarding our texts to another person who might want to know they have the option to ring or email Samaritans in confidence.”

There were many perceived barriers to asking for help, said Mr Daly.

These ranged from not knowing who to ask, to not wanting to burden or worry those close to them.

“Our research shows that simply having an awareness of our SMS and email service made young people more likely to feel that Samaritans is a good option if they want to discuss difficult issues in their life,” he said.

Research shows young people don’t perceive their problems as being serious enough to make contact with Samaritans, yet they are one of the most vulnerable groups within society in terms of emotional health.

The research also shows that once they were made aware of the existing email service young people were far more likely to get in touch to discuss issues that worried them.

It also demonstrated that they were more likely to perceive Samaritans as being relevant to their lives.

Púca chief executive Eamon Holmes said it was a very worthy cause, and the mobile phone was a logical communication channel to reach out to young people.

Scotsman

RHIANNON EDWARD
Mon 26 Dec 2005

Charlotte at home with her mother Debbie yesterday

Key points
• ‘Right-to-life’ case baby enjoys first Christmas at home
• Family decribe Charlotte Wyatt as ‘happy and relaxed’

Key quote
“She was looking at the Christmas tree with all the lights. She was looking around the room and taking it all in.” - Debbie Wyatt

PROFOUNDLY disabled Charlotte Wyatt was surrounded by presents as she spent her first Christmas at home with her family yesterday.

Debbie Wyatt, 24, and Darren, 33, said their baby girl was happy and relaxed at their home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, during her two-hour, unsupervised visit. Mrs Wyatt said: “It was the best Christmas present we could ask for having Charlotte home.

“She was looking at the Christmas tree with all the lights. She was looking around the room and taking it all in. She seemed happy and she was really relaxed. We didn’t have any problems at all with her.”

The two-year-old weighed only 1lb and measured just 5in long when she was born three months prematurely on 21 October, 2003. She has serious brain, lung and kidney damage and was at the centre of a right-to-life court case.

Her survival has confounded predictions that she would succumb to a respiratory infection.

Mr Wyatt collected his daughter in a taxi from St Mary’s Hospital, in Portsmouth, and pushed her in a buggy into their home where a pile of presents was waiting. Mrs Wyatt said: “She opened her presents and she was playing with her toys. She was even watching the cartoons on the television.

“She needs stimulating, so we bought her lots of things with bright lights and sounds.”

She added: “It made Christmas complete because last year Charlotte was in an oxygen box. The year before that she was in an incubator. Hopefully next year we should have her home for good.

“I just want to say thank you to the hospital because they have kept Charlotte alive and just to say thank you for letting us have Charlotte home for Christmas.”