Overcoming adversity: How amazing Amelia wrote a story using just her eyes

By Luke Chapman | Family, Parents, Teachers, Interview, Alumni

The inspirational 7-year-old, who is currently non-verbal, channelled her creativity through cue cards to curate her magical mini-saga.

Amelia was diagnosed with Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) at birth, a type of brain damage occurring in newborns resulting from a shortage of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Amelia was in intensive care for six weeks shortly after coming into the world; her prognosis wasn’t hopeful.

 “She wouldn’t know who we were, wouldn’t know herself in the world”, Amelia’s mother explained. After giving birth to Amelia, Natalie wasn’t able to see her new baby daughter for 17 days, “They told me it was dangerous to hope; at that moment, my world fell apart ”.

Fast-forwarding to today, and Amelia is a beacon of light and happiness. She uses a wheelchair to navigate and can communicate with visual cues provided by her parents.

When Amelia entered her story “The Woods” into our A wander in the Woods competition, her parents had no idea! Beaming with pride, Amelia came home one day with a talent for writing certificate in hand.

“She’s shown us there is hope, and that it’s not dangerous to have hope at all. It’s that hope that sparked things in our family to encourage Amelia to be the best possible version of herself”.

Amelia’s mini-saga will now be published in an upcoming anthology, and therefore kept in the British library for eternity. Her journey is nothing but inspirational, and you can watch the interview with Natalie here: